Song: L.O.V.E
Artist: Frank Sinatra
A/N: Inspired by the film "Parent Trap" in which this song was used :)
The candlelight flickered, casting a beautiful glow over the entire scene. Maura could hardly believe her eyes when Jane took the blindfold off. Gazing about her, she couldn't stop the gasp that escaped her mouth as she took in the beautiful sight that lay before her.
Standing in the doorway, she looked into the room, lit entirely with candles and the moonlight that shone through the portholes that lined the walls. It was tastefully decorated with various coloured roses on small side tables around the room – white, red, pink, peach. A beautiful painting of the Boston harbour hung over the sideboard that held an ice bucket containing a bottle of wine. In the centre of the room was a table, set for two. A small vase containing red roses sat in the middle, along with a small brazier of candles that made the silverware glint. The only sound that could be heard was the gentle lapping of waves as the ship drifted lazily on the water, and the two women's quiet breathing.
"Oh Jane…" Maura whispered, overcome with emotion, "It's beautiful."
The detective smiled, putting an arm around her waist. "You like it?"
"I love it," the honey-blonde woman turned in her lover's arms, placing a chaste kiss upon her lips. "I love you."
"I love you too, Maur," Jane reached a hand up, cupping the doctor's cheek.
Leaning in for another kiss, Maura smiled into it, as her hands lost themselves in the tangles of Jane's hair. How she had gotten lucky enough to call the brave, reckless detective her own she didn't know, but she was thankful for it every single day. Extremely loyal, unbelievably brave, so determined to protect the ones she cared about that she'd willingly risk her own life, Jane Rizzoli was certainly not your average kind of person. Since the moment Maura had met Detective Rizzoli, she had known, in her gut, that she was… special. Despite all their obvious differences – sport interests, drink preferences, viewpoints, just their entire personalities – the two had grown extremely close in a very short amount of time. And it had reached even beyond the scope of friendship, blossoming into something that Maura, if she was honest with herself, had dreamed about but never believed would experience. And as their relationship progressed, the ME broke down through the many walls of the tough brunette, uncovering a side of Jane that only she ever witnessed. The gentle Jane, the loving Jane, the passionate Jane, the romantic Jane. It had been extremely interesting and endearing when Maura came to the conclusion that Jane was, indeed, a hopeless romantic. This surprise evening, organised by none other than tough-as-nails Hurricane-Jane of the BPD, was certainly testimony to that fact, and it only made Maura fall for her even more, if that was possible.
"Jane, where are you taking me?"
The doctor was dressed up – that was to say, even more dressed up than usual – at Jane's request. She had happily acquiesced when Jane asked her the night before to put on something special for this evening. The detective had been dropping hints over the past fortnight about the arrangement and how amazing it would be. Jane's teasing smile and the spark in her eyes made Maura feel almost lightheaded with curiosity and love. Whatever the brunette had in mind, she had obviously been planning it for a while, and Maura couldn't help feeling overwhelmed at the fact that the woman who hated hugs was willing to go through so much trouble to give her a wonderful night. So now, here she was, dressed in a new, bold red strapless dress that hugged her body in all the right places. Matching heels and a gold pendant necklace that Jane had given her rounded off the look, and she wore her hair out, in its carefully styled curls, the way she knew Jane loved. And her vision was also currently obscured by a black blindfold, securely tied by Jane.
"Maur," Jane sighed in amused exasperation, "You know I can't tell you. It's a surprise!"
"Jane, please? You've been teasing me for the last two weeks!"
"So why stop now?" Maura could hear the smirk in her detective's voice.
Her detective. She loved thinking of Jane Rizzoli as hers. Only Jane had ever brought out the possessive streak in Maura, a streak she wasn't even aware she had until the homicide detective strolled into the room at BPD and into her life. Jane was also the only one who had ever made Maura's heart beat as fast as it did by just being in her presence. Before the blindfold had gone on, the doctor caught a glimpse of what Jane was wearing, and the sight had made her throat go dry, and her knees go weak. Jane had forgone the usual suit outfit, wearing a beautiful black dress that happened to accentuate her glorious figure. She was also wearing heels, a phenomenon that Maura knew could only occur when forced into by either herself or Angela, and the glint of metal on her wrist showed Maura that she was wearing the watch she'd given her last Christmas. Maura also noticed the small amount of make-up Jane was wearing, artfully bringing out her dark brown eyes, that were gazing at her with a mixture of warmth, love, excitement, awe and… was it nervousness? Her wonderfully wild tangles of hair remained mostly the same, perhaps a little neater than usual, but Maura had always liked it most when Jane wore her hair out. Being able to run her fingers through it, allow them to tangle in it, grip it to remain grounded… the honey-blonde haired doctor quickly stopped that vein of thought before it became too much, as she felt Jane tug at the blindfold to check it's integrity.
After being sure of Maura's sightlessness, Jane had gently taken the doctor's arm and presumably guided her towards the car. Maura could feel the concrete of the pathway that led from her house to the road under her feet, hear the heels striking the ground. The sound of the car door opening confirmed her theory, and she felt Jane's hands guiding her into the seat and then buckling her in. The kiss that followed had been unexpected, but very happily accepted, as Maura blindly reached a hand up to stroke Jane's cheek.
"Mmmm, I didn't see that one coming, detective."
A low chuckle met her ears, and she felt Jane lean in again, planting another on her lips. She could feel the smile in it, before Jane drew back again.
"Alright, Dr Isles," the teasing voice was back. "I'm going to get into the driver's seat, and take us to our mysterious destination. And you aren't allowed to peek. Okay?"
Maura was less than pleased with the idea, and pouted in what she hoped was Jane's direction.
"No, Maura. You can't look. Promise?"
Letting out a sigh, because she knew it was a pointless battle, Maura finally agreed. "If I must."
"Oh you must. And when we get there, I am going to ask you if you peeked, and you can't lie." The voice sounded decidedly smug, and the honey-blonde haired woman had no problem conjuring the image of Jane hovering just above her, with that half-smirk on her face and the self-satisfied look in her eyes. It could be so infuriating… and incredibly sexy.
With another huff of defeat, Maura settled against the seat, and listened to the sounds of Jane closing the door, and walking around to the other side. The driver door opening, the rustling as Jane got in, the driver door closing, and the engine kick-starting. After that, a comfortable silence seemed to settle in the car, only disturbed by the hum of the engine and random sounds of the world beyond the confines of their car. Maura could only give a rough estimation of how long they'd been on the road, and she knew that due to the lack of one of her primary senses, it would be quite inaccurate. Filled with anticipation, she fidgeted in her lap, until a warm hand covered them, holding one and rubbing a thumb over it. Smiling at the contact, Maura flipped her own over, entwining her fingers with Jane's. They continued the rest of their trip like that, until finally, the car seemed to move off concrete road, onto an unfamiliar surface. When the car pulled to a stop, they both sat in silence for another moment, before Maura decided to break it.
"Are we here?"
"Not quite, sweetie."
Maura frowned a little at that, well and truly confused as to where they were now.
"C'mon, let me help you out of the car."
Maura heard the door open once more as Jane climbed out. The footsteps were an interesting sound, certainly not like heel against concrete. Maura decided to hypothesise – it wasn't the same as guessing – that it was most likely a wooden surface of some sort.
The door opened on her side and a cool breeze met her skin. The scent of Jane Rizzoli filled her nose as she felt the woman lean in, undoing the belt and reaching for her. It was truly amazing what an olfactory sense could do to the human body. Maura could never get enough of that smell, of lavender and the underlying scent that was distinctly Jane. Depending on when and where, there would be other scents mixed in as well, but that smell was always present. And it was enough to make the chief ME wild with desire.
Guided out of the confines of the car, Maura stood, turning her head in vain as she strained to catch a glimpse of the surrounding environment. The warm arm that wrapped around her waist caused her to turn towards where she knew the taller woman was, and she leaned in, hoping Jane would meet her halfway. Obviously getting the message, they indulged in another glorious kiss, before Maura pulled back, smiling.
"So what are we doing now? Do I get to take the blindfold off yet?"
"Nope. Not yet."
Maura feigned annoyance. "Really, Detective Rizzoli? Do you ever intend to take this blindfold off?" she questioned, her lips twitching into a smile.
"Well, I could always leave it on… it should make some of tonight's planned activities very... interesting…" Jane's voice got huskier as she reached the end of that sentence, causing the doctor's breath to hitch. The shorter woman could hear the smirk in Jane's voice again, as she said, "Patience, Dr Isles. Isn't that the practice you always preach?"
Unable to think of a reply, as she tried to clear her mind of thoughts on what "tonight's planned activities" were, Maura merely gave a look in Jane's generally direction. The fact that her eyes were covered obviously took away most of the effectiveness, and she felt the taller woman chuckling. She couldn't help the smile that crept over her own lips.
"Here," Jane began to guide Maura, walking her over the possibly wooden surface, but it was only when they stopped again that the honey-blonde seemed to finally notice the sound of waves.
"Jane, are we by the harbour?"
"You'll see."
For a moment, Jane left Maura's side, and she heard the sound of clanking and then a thump. A second later, Jane was at her side again, leading her up some kind of ramp, onto another surface. This time, her senses moving much more quickly, Maura immediately felt the rocking sensation, one profound enough to tell her she was on a boat.
An arm wound around her waist again, and a hand took one of hers, as she felt her lover lead her once more to what she was sure would be the final destination. Her theory was correct, as another few steps later, Jane stopped her, whispering in her ear, "Are you ready?" Nodding in the affirmative, she felt Jane let go of her hand, reaching up to pull the knot of the blindfold out, and letting it fall.
The kiss deepened, as Jane ran her tongue over Maura's lips, asking for entry, which Maura willingly granted. Opening her mouth, the shorter woman gave a soft moan as her tongue made contact with that of the detective. Jane reached up, one hand finding itself buried in golden locks, the other still wrapped tightly around the doctor's waist. After another minute of passionate kissing, Jane finally pulled back, resting her forehead against Maura's.
"Why don't we have dinner now?" The pout on Maura's face was unbelievably adorable, and Jane couldn't resist leaning in to capture those lips again. "Y'know we have the entire night."
Maura laughed, sending a tingle down Jane's spine, as it always did. "I know. But that doesn't mean I don't want to kiss you right now."
This got her another kiss, before Jane took her arm and led her to the table. Pulling the chair out, the taller woman gestured for Maura to sit, displaying her rarely seen chivalrous nature. At least, it was rarely directed towards anyone but Maura.
When Jane had first met Dr Isles officially, in the Homicide Unit of the BPD, she was initially surprised, recognising the woman from the café who had tried to give her money. Having gotten past the initial introductions, Jane couldn't help feeling differently about this woman than any other person she'd ever met. Maura was quirky, intelligent, and exceedingly literal, with an inability to detect sarcasm, a tool Jane used abundantly. In short, the doctor seemed to be the embodiment of everything that Jane wasn't. With class, money, enough brains to earn her the nickname "Googlemouth", and a lack of interest in any sport other than fencing or ballet (which still weren't sports in Jane's book), the brunette was quick to decide that Maura was brilliant, beautiful, and way out of her league. And yet, here she was, sitting across from the most stunning person she'd ever met, their hands entwined over the table. Only Jane had been able to push past the distance the honey-blonde had set about herself, reaching in deep enough to capture her heart. Jane spent every night thanking the universe for giving her such an amazing person that she could call her girlfriend. Her heart sped up again, as she thought ahead to what she hoped would happen tonight. She'd worked so hard to bring it about.
Jane had been planning this night for God knows how long, determined to make it absolutely perfect. After all, Maura Isles deserved nothing less. For the last month, Jane had been looking, searching for the perfect night, the perfect setting. She was sure she'd never spent so much time staring at a computer screen in her free time. It had been difficult, trying to organise everything without Maura finding out, or at least suspecting something. More than once, the doctor had walked in on Jane while she was surfing the net for a restaurant, or a park, or something. It took split second thinking, something the detective had honed over the years on the force, to react and as quickly and casually as possible, change the screen to something else, usually case-related.
It was only about two weeks ago when she stumbled across the night ship. It was simple, and not too expensive. But it had the kind of class, beauty and privacy that the brunette knew her lover would appreciate. After doing some more looking into it, she organised to go down the next day after work to check out the ship, and finalise the payment for a night on the harbour.
There was just one problem.
The thing about working together was that it was difficult to sneak away without the other knowing. At the end of each work day, either Jane would go down to the morgue or Maura would come up to the Homicide Unit, so they could leave together. It was an easy routine, and if she was to suddenly leave without her, it would arouse suspicion, and the detective knew well enough how quickly Maura could find and piece together her plans.
It was no good. Jane knew she'd have to enlist help to do this, and coming to the conclusion that they would find out soon anyway, she called Frankie over to their unit, and got Korsak and Frost's attention.
"Hey, I need to tell you guys something, and I don't want you all to… you know… go crazy or something," Jane began, a little nervously. "You know Maura and I have been together for two years now, and we've been best friends even longer than that." She saw her brother open his mouth, and held up a hand to stop him interrupting. She knew she'd have to get it out as soon as possible before she lost the nerve or they were interrupted by some new development in their current case. "I love Maura more than I've ever loved anyone else. She makes me really happy, like… happier than I thought I ever could be. And…" she took a deep breath. "I'm going to ask her to marry me."
Silence fell after Jane's declaration. A lot hinged on what her friends thought about this. But the suspense was short lived when a huge cheer erupted from the Homicide Unit, drawing the curious attention of passing cops. Suddenly Jane was engulfed in a huge hug from Frankie, Frost grinning and giving her a clap on the back. Korsak was chuckling, and when it was quiet enough, he replied, "It's about time, Jane!"
The brunette looked slightly confused as the three men nodded at each other in agreement. "What?"
"Aw, c'mon Janie," Frankie said. "We've all been waiting for the moment you'd pop the question, you took so long we half expected Maura to be the one to do it."
Korsak shook his head, "We've seen you two around each other, it was obvious that you were going to get married, it was just a question of when."
"Yeah, we were beginning to wonder if you were gonna get there by your fifties."
"Hey!" Jane hit Frankie and Frost on the shoulder.
"Ow, hey, just saying!" Frankie rubbed his arm. Jane rolled her eyes at him.
"So what do you need us to do?" Frost took a shot, guessing that Jane was looking for some assistance.
Jane leaned against the edge of her desk, running a hand through her hair. "Tonight I'm checking out this night ship I saw in an online advertisement. It looked pretty good, decent price, flexible with the kind of setting you want, time and date up to you. I think Maura would really like it, and I was thinking, maybe we could have dinner together, it'd be nice and quiet, y'know."
"The company wouldn't happen to be called 'Cruise to Remember', would it?" Korsak asked.
"Think it is, actually. How'd you know that?"
The old detective smiled, "One of my old veteran buddies founded it. He was a bit of a romantic fool, had a sweetheart back home that he wrote to regularly, and when we were finally discharged, they got married. I was at the wedding, beautiful ceremony. He went on to try give others happily ever afters too, and started the business with his own ship. Grew to something pretty big."
"Is it good?"
"Sure. Everything I've ever heard about it has been pretty good, and knowing him, it would certainly cater to all your requests. Why don't I come with you, might be able to help you strike up a better deal?"
"Mates rates," Frost nodded.
"Thanks, Korsak," Jane smiled back. "That'd really mean a lot."
"Alright, Jane, you need us to try and hold up the doc then?" Frankie asked.
"Right, yeah, that's what I wanted to ask you about. Can you guys distract her somehow, you know, take her to the Robber or something, while we go check out the ship?"
Korsak rubbed his chin, thinking. "Why don't we tell Dr Isles that I need to go down to the docks to collect some data about an old case, and asked you to come down with me? Frost and Frankie, you can stay back and tell her you're working on this case, and you were teaching Frankie a few tips or something."
They all nodded, it seemed like a solid enough plan. "Hey, Frankie, Frost, see if you can get her to the Dirty Robber, we can meet up there."
"Sure thing, sis," Frankie gave her sister another pat on the back. "I'm really happy for you. You gotta ring?"
Jane smiled. Reaching into her inside blazer pocket that was casually draped over her chair, she pulled out a small velvet box. Cracking it open for the others to see, the light caught the surface of the small, beautiful diamond. It rested on a simple golden band, but when Jane carefully took out the ring, a small engraving, saying "Forever and always" could be seen on the inside.
Appreciative whistles came from all three men, as they took in the stunning ring. It was without difficulty that they visualised the ring sitting on the doctor's finger, and with pride and joy when they saw a beautiful wedding with the happy couple in their mind's eye.
"Damn, she's gonna love it."
It was difficult to hide the pride and relief Jane felt at her friends' approval. But then the clicking of heels down the hallway drew them all out of their happy little bubble. Only one person in this building wore heels. Grabbing the ring, Jane hurriedly closed the box and stuffed it into her pocket while Frost and Frankie dived behind the computer and Korsak quickly made his way back to his desk. Not a second later, the beautiful honey-blonde had walked in, smiling at the men and positively beaming at the sight of Jane. She walked over, and planted a swift, chaste kiss against the taller woman's lips.
"Hello, sweetie."
Jane managed to get her heart rate back under control in time to respond, "Hey." She reached up with a hand to gently stroke Maura's cheek, before leaning in for another quick kiss. "Why are you up here so early?"
"We finished lab work a little early, and I didn't have any paperwork left so I thought I might as well come up to see you."
"Awww, Maur." She couldn't help placing another kiss on the smiling doctor's lips. "Hey, I'm really sorry, but Korsak and I have to go down to the docks. Korsak reckons he can find something on one of our older cases."
A small frown creased Maura's perfect brow, as she thought about this. Korsak spoke up, "Yeah, it was about that case about a month ago, with the sailor's death. I know we cleared most of it up, but I just want to check on a couple of things, and asked Jane to come down with me. Frost and Frankie were busy trying to crack the phone code in this case, so I figured I'd get Jane to help."
Maura nodded, easily accepting the ploy. "Okay. Just be careful, both of you." Maura touched Jane's cheek. "Don't do anything reckless." Jane rolled her eyes in amused exasperation.
"It's just some questioning, Maura. We'll be fine."
Frost spoke up, "Hey, why don't we all meet up at the Robber later tonight? Frankie and I are almost finished up here, and Dr Isles, you could join us."
Everyone nodded.
"Okay, got some questioning to do," Jane grabbed her blazer, throwing it on casually as she followed Korsak to the door. A hand, however, pulled her back, and she was spun around by Maura, who straightened the blazer, fixing the collar and smoothing it down. The tall brunette was glad that she had shoved the box into her pants pocket – she was sure Maura would have felt the box as she fixed Jane's blazer, had it been in its previous home.
With that, the detective turned to follow her old partner out of the unit, shooting him a warning glare when Korsak looked at her with a grin, having witnessed the close interaction between the two women. Jane had been teased more than once by her colleagues, not that she really minded, but she didn't realise that the smile her old friend was wearing was one of pure happiness, that his old partner had finally found her special someone.
Down at "Cruise to Remember", Korsak had caught up with his old friend, Tom. Hearing the plan, Tom was more than happy to give Jane the best he had on offer at a terrific price. It was then that Korsak had asked about the service on the ship for the night.
"Well, naturally, you have the captain, the cook, the waiters, and some other staff to cater to your wants and needs. It's all included in the package. The decorations and set up will be done beforehand, so there won't be any other hands on deck for your special night."
The old detective looked thoughtfully at his friend, then at Jane, who was now regarding him with some curiosity.
"What if we took care of staffing for the night?"
Tom looked a little surprised, but smiled all the same. "If you can provide the man power, I can bring the price down even more, you'll just pay for the ship, food supplies, and the decorating."
"Jane, what do you think?"
"What do you mean?"
"I'm thinking, we could get Frankie and Frost on board to help with the waitressing, Tommy could work on the technical stuff, your mother might like to cook, and this old man has had his share of seafaring years. You could have the people you care about most nearby, without us intruding, and it'll be easier on the pocket too. 'Course, it's up to you, but there's a suggestion."
Jane took a moment to think about it, but in all honesty, she couldn't imagine anything more perfect. Her mother would be a bit of a handful when she told her – no doubt there would be a lot of excited screams, happy tears, bone-breaking hugs and probably an overwhelming urge to tell every single person she met about her daughter's plan. Which was why Jane was intending to tell Angela after the proposal, if it went well. But imagining the happiness her mother would feel in being a part of the special event was enough to convince Jane that it'd be worth it. It'd really make the night that much more special.
"That's perfect, Korsak!" Jane was grinning from ear to ear. The more she thought about it, the better it seemed.
The old man laughed, and clapped a hand on Tom's back. "Reckon we could make the deal, Tom?"
"Sounds great to me!" Tom beamed. "You can leave everything with me, Detective Rizzoli, I'll have it all set up just right. Just give me a call to finalise the time and date."
"Thanks a lot, Tom. And you can call me Jane," she shook hands with the veteran, an excited grin plastered across her face.
"Not a problem, Jane. Oh, and if you don't mind my asking, what's the lucky girl's name?"
Jane's face immediately softened when she thought of the beautiful doctor, her golden curls and warm smile, dressed impeccably. "Maura. Dr Maura Isles."
"Well, I'd say she's a right lucky lady to have you."
"No." Jane shook her head. "I'm definitely the lucky one."
Jane certainly believed herself to be extremely lucky. She never could have imagined having such an amazing woman as a girlfriend. Someone so unbelievably beautiful, and smart, and funny, and quirky, and wonderful. The detective was certainly having trouble thinking straight with the gorgeous woman sitting across from her. She decided that it should probably be illegal for someone to look so good. She'd been absolutely floored when she came around to pick Maura up, and saw her wearing the red dress. It was definitely new, Jane decided, having never seen it before, but at the time, the only thing she could think of was how incredibly hot the doctor looked in it. With a pair of killer heels that made her gorgeous long legs drool-worthy, and her honey-blonde locks swept over her shoulder, Jane had felt her heart rate increase tremendously, while her throat went dry and she lost the ability to move. As if Maura knew exactly what she was doing to her detective, she had glanced over the detective with a small smirk, before Jane attacked her with a blindfold. It took a lot of restraint to stop herself from attacking Maura in a completely different way.
Even now, after having had the chance to look at Maura all along the car trip, and while she was leading the sightless woman to their destination, the effect still hadn't worn off, as Jane took in the glorious image of her girlfriend. The small gold pendant hanging from the shorter woman's neck filled Jane's heart with love, as she recognised it as the present she'd bought Maura a year ago for her birthday. She decided the ring would go very nicely with it.
Maura looked into Jane's eyes lovingly, as she used her thumbs to caress the back of Jane's hands. Nothing needed to be said, as they showed each other just how much they meant to each other with their eyes. Words would only be superfluous in this moment as Jane took one of Maura's hands and pressed her lips against it.
A moment later, they both heard footsteps and turned to see Frost and Frankie, dressed in neat white shirts and black vests, with matching black pants walking up to the table. A bow tie was tied around their necks and towel draped over their arms as they took a small bow before straightening up and addressing the two ladies.
"Good evening, Detective Rizzoli and Dr Isles. I am Barry Frost and this is Frankie Rizzoli and we will be your waiters for tonight."
"We hope you enjoy tonight's meal, courtesy of our amazing cook, Angela Rizzoli. We have Tommy Rizzoli catering to your musical tastes, and you'll be in safe hands tonight, with Captain Vince Korsak at the helm."
"We will bring you the entrées in a moment." Frost glanced at Frankie, who quickly moved over to the bucket that was chilling the wine. Pouring out two glasses, Frankie stepped back, and gave the couple a smile.
"Enjoy the night, ladies."
When the two men had retreated, Maura turned to Jane in amazement. "Did you organise all this?"
Jane smiled sheepishly, "Well, yeah. It was actually Korsak's idea to get them to help like this, and I really liked that so I agreed."
"This is amazing," Maura whispered, unable to stay in her seat, and going over to Jane to kiss her on the cheek. "Thank you."
Jane blushed a little, smiling, "I just wanted to do something really special for you. It's just… you mean so much to me and–"
Her words were cut off by a pair of lips, as Maura captured them in a heated kiss. Blinking away stars, Jane rested her forehead against Maura's for a moment, simply inhaling the wonderful scent of her beautiful girlfriend, enjoying the closeness. With a sly smile, she nodded towards the wineglasses sitting on the table. "Want to try the wine?"
Maura was slightly surprised at this, but she sat down again, and reached for a glass. Just as she lifting it to her lips, she heard Jane say it:
"Sip it slowly."
Catching her lover's eye over the rim of the glass, Maura saw the cheeky grin, flanked by those dimples she'd fallen in love with. She knew what the wine was even before she'd tasted it, and when the liquid touched her tongue, she wasn't disappointed.
Savouring the delightful drink for a moment, she closed her eyes. Opening them again, she saw Jane watching her lovingly. "Oh, Jane… the 1994 Château de Gordes. How did you find it?"
Jane gave a small shrug. "It wasn't that hard to find. At least, for an extremely rare wine. And I made sure it was the real thing," she added with a chuckle, drawing a laugh from the doctor as well as they thought back to that night, with the sour excuse for wine Tommy had given Maura.
In truth, it had taken Jane even longer than a month to track down the elusive bottle of wine, and to ensure its integrity as the real thing, before forking over the ridiculously large amount of cash that the wine had cost and getting it delivered in time. After all this time, she'd always remembered that bottle of wine, and how Maura had described it. She was determined to have it on this special night, and spent many hours looking for it online. It was surprising, how many false brands had claimed the title of the prestigious drink, but when Jane had finally landed on the real thing, it was a very satisfying victory. She had no doubt in her mind that Maura would appreciate it, and judging by her reaction tonight, the detective's bet was right on the money.
"Really, detective?" Maura teased her lightly. "I know you're good, but I highly doubt that it was that simple."
Jane raised an eyebrow. "Is that a challenge, doctor?"
"Maybe." Maura gave her that trademark shoulder quirk, a slightly sultry smile dancing around her lips.
Before they could go any further, however, approaching footsteps announced the arrival of their first course. Frost and Frankie bore in the dishes with a flourish, managing to keep the grins off their faces as they placed them on the table between the two women. Frankie went to refill their glasses of wine, before the two disappeared again.
Jane watched them go, a conflicted look on her face. Noticing it, Maura reached over to take the brunette's hand. "Is everything okay?"
"Huh? Oh yeah," the detective smiled at her, before giving an exasperated sigh. "I was just thinking, those two are never gonna let this go. They'll hold it over me until the day I die."
Maura couldn't help laughing a little at Jane's plight. Reaching for a crisp finger of garlic bread, she held it out for Jane to take. Jane accepted it happily enough, allowing Maura to feed her. "Would you like me to have a talk with your brother and your partner for you?"
"What? No! Maura…" she whined.
The honey-blonde haired doctor chuckled again. "Well, it seems to be bothering you enough to distract you from our wonderful evening tonight…"
Jane rolled her eyes, before she took a piece of bread herself, and began to feed Maura. "You know that the only thing that could ever distract me from you is… there isn't anything… oh wait! A Red Sox homerun!"
Maura gave a gasp of mock offence. "Jane!" she scolded, before they both burst out laughing.
The rest of the evening passed in a similar, carefree fashion, both women completely and totally enraptured with each other. Soft music played in the background, a list specially selected by Jane, with the aid of her trusty crew. But as the friends and family looked on, they were sure the music was going by unnoticed. In fact, both Frost and Frankie agreed that a storm could slide by the star-struck lovers without notice. Watching from a small porthole on the kitchen door, that afforded them a look down the small corridor to the table set for two, they couldn't hide the grins as they observed the interaction. Frost had rarely ever seen his partner look so happy. It was quite the transformation, from the kickass detective who stared down perps and criminals every single day, to a woman so completely and totally happy and in love. He saw flashes of it whenever Maura Isles came up to their unit, the way Detective Rizzoli's eyes would soften when they landed on the doctor, the way her lips would curve into a smile when their eyes met. For a moment, she wasn't Detective Rizzoli anymore, but Jane Rizzoli. He also saw the way Dr Isles' eyes would light up whenever Jane arrived on the scene of a murder. Unable to stomach the dead bodies, Frost made it a point to watch how the two co-workers would immediately soften for just a second in each other's presence, before pulling on the brisk mask of professionalism again. Though he'd never admit it to anyone, Frost really loved seeing his partner so happy. He couldn't imagine a better pairing. Dr Isles really brought out the best in her.
Frankie was so proud of his sister. She'd been his role model all his life. Becoming the youngest cop ever to be promoted to the rank of detective, Jane had always been an inspiration for Frankie, someone he aspired to be like. But this made him prouder than anything else, even the promotion to Boston Homicide. Watching his older sister fall in love, so completely, with a person who loved her just as much was really something. It was special, seeing Jane and Maura together, the way they treated each other, cared about each other, loved each other… All his life, he'd known Jane – troublemaker, sports fanatic, independent woman. She never relied on other people, never let them get close. But here she was, with the love of her life, planning to propose, to get married, to even have a family. This willingness to make such a commitment was all thanks to none other than Dr Maura Isles. He couldn't think of a person more different from his sister than the honey-blonde haired woman currently sitting across from her, or a person more perfect for his Janie. Maura was the only one who could draw out this side of Jane. And Frankie could tell, Jane was the only one who could make Maura smile the way she did, laugh the way she did, make her face light up the way it did. They were good for each other.
After the dessert had been served, Frost and Frankie whisked away the plates and cutlery, and left the women to themselves. Jane smiled across at Maura, trying to hide her nervousness. When Maura smiled back lovingly, Jane could feel her heart like a jackhammer against her chest. She turned to glance at a porthole, and caught Tommy's eye. She gave a tiny nod at him while Maura was looking away, and Tommy winked and disappeared. Jane then turned back to Maura, and tried to calm herself down.
"Hey Maura?"
"Yes, Jane?"
"Do you wanna dance?"
Tommy had been given the role as the music operator on the ship. And he had what may just be the most important job of the whole night. Racing away from his post at the window, he entered the cabin, and turned to the music controls. He let the last song finish, before he selected the song that Jane had picked out for the occasion. Tweaking the volume controls so they were just right, and making sure the right speakers were working, he grinned. This was it. He pushed the little button.
Jane guided the doctor out onto the deck, leading her towards the bow. Taking her hand in one, and placing the other on Maura's hip, she smiled down at the beautiful woman in her arms as the music began.
L, is for the way you look at me.
Maura stared up into Jane's deep, expressive eyes. No one had ever looked at her the way Jane had. No one ever made her feel so much with just a glance, a smile, a touch. Maura knew long ago that Jane would be the one for her.
O, is for the only one I see.
Jane gently led her partner across the deck, watching as the breeze caught the golden locks, ruffling Maura's hair just so. She didn't notice Korsak peering down at them from the bridge with a grin on his face. She didn't notice Frost, Frankie and Tommy peeking around the corner at the couple. She didn't notice Angela crying happy tears for them through a small porthole window. The only thing Jane saw was the one person in front of her, hand in her hand, arm around her neck, dancing with her.
V, is very, very extraordinary.
Jane was certainly extraordinary. Maura couldn't stop herself from planting a soft kiss on her detective's lips before leaning her forehead against Jane's. She still couldn't believe that she had managed to catch this amazing woman. For all the science in the world, Maura couldn't use equations quantify the intensity of her love for Jane, couldn't use words to explain the connection they shared. And what was more, she didn't feel like she needed to. Jane was extraordinary, and there wasn't a single person in the world like her. Maura had never been more certain of anything in her life.
E, is even more than anyone that you adore can.
Maura had to know just how deeply Jane loved her. And tonight, the detective was going to take the step that would affirm it beyond any shadow of a doubt. As they moved across the imaginary dance floor to the beat of the music, Jane stared into those hazel eyes, feeling her nervousness fall away.
As the musical interlude came in, the couple danced easily, as if they could read the other's movements before they had even happened yet. Jane twirled Maura around on the spot, before they came back together, but with their arms around each other, dancing closely on the spot. Forehead to forehead, nose to nose, they were blind to everything around them, wrapped up in their own world.
The lyrics started up again, and Jane pulled back, taking Maura's hand and leading her to the bow of the ship. Angling her body to hide the little black box she had secreted in a small space there, she turned to face the doctor again, taking both her hands and bringing them up so she could press her lips against them. Not letting go, she took a deep breath, as she looked into those beautiful eyes.
Love is all that I can give to you.
"Maura, I know that I'm just detective. I can't buy you loads of expensive jewellery or clothes or whatever else people give, not that I'd know how. But I will do everything in my power to give you happiness and security, and to show you just how much I love you every single day.
Love is more than just a game for two.
"I always thought that love like this didn't really ever exist. I didn't know it was possible to really care about someone as much as I do about you. You changed me. You made me want to be a better person.
Two in love can make it.
"I never thought I'd ever find someone so special. I never knew I could fall in love with someone so hard, and so fast. But I did. With you.
Take my heart and please don't break it.
"And I realised that… I want this, I want us, for the rest of my life.
Love was made for me and you.
"And if you let me, I'll do everything I can to make you the happiest woman in the world.
Love was made for me and you.
"Maura…
Love was made for me and you.
"Will you marry me?"
Maura had tears in her eyes, as she stared down at Jane, who was on one knee, holding out a black box with a beautiful diamond ring in it. Throwing her arms around Jane, she almost knocked the detective over as she kissed her.
"Yes. Yes, Jane. I'll marry you."