Just as Patty Doyle was done explaining the current state of crime in Boston, he gave Jane one last request. "Take care of my daughter."
"I can take care of myself." Maura said, as she had been listening in right next to her best friend. "Hang up." She ordered.
Jane did so, pressing the button that would end the call.
They looked at each other for a moment.
"I do think he loves you." The taller woman said.
"That doesn't mean I have to love him back."
She opened her mouth to respond when she was cut off by her mother.
"Oh! What happened to the door?"
Jane made up a believable lie rather quickly. "Tommy forgot his keys."
He gave his sister a look and glanced towards his mother, ready for the riot act.
"Tommy, you know better than that!" She admonished.
"Uh… can I make a suggestion?" The detective said, trying to get her brother out of trouble and change the subject. She walked over to the chess set and moved one of the white pieces to knock out a black piece. She smirked. "Checkmate."
Maura's brows furrowed as she started to walk over. "Wha- you know how to play chess?"
"Yeah, who do you think taught him? Tommy's not the only Rizzoli with a beautiful mind." She said and walked back into the kitchen.
Maura laughed and followed her."But, really, Jane. How did you do that?"
Said woman shrugged. "I dunno. I just saw it, I guess."
"Just saw it? Unbelievable…" She stated, shaking her head. "Okay, that's it! I want to play against you!" She said, giddy for a new, and tougher, opponent.
"What? No, Maura… it's late and I don't really wanna play right now."
"Please, Jane? Just one game?"
"What? But, Maura… I thought I was your chess partner…" Tommy cut in, looking slightly heartbroken.
"Partner? C'mon, Tommy, I was annihilating you." Maura stated with a grin.
"I was getting close…" He said, downtrodden.
"Okay, how about this. You and Jane can play a match against each other. The winner can play me."
"Do I not have any decision in this matter?" The detective said. "I don't even want to play!"
"Yeah, well, you didn't seem too happy about me playing with Tommy so… it's either you or him."
"What about me?" Angela said, feeling left out.
"You don't even know how to play, Ma." Jane said. "Remember, I tried to teach you and you kept throwing the pieces at me?"
"That was so long ago, I'm sure I can just jump right in. How hard can it be?"
Jane sighed and shook her head, ignoring her mother. "No chess tonight, Maura, okay?"
The pouty lip came out but she nodded anyway. "Alright. Tomorrow?"
Seeing no way out of this she conceded. "Fine. But that means no 'crack of dawn run'." She said with a pointed look.
Maura seemed to have an internal battle. She rather enjoyed spending first thing in the morning with her best friend, especially in the somewhat secluded jogging atmosphere. But, she supposed, that could always be moved to another day. "Of course. Crack of dawn chess tournament instead?"
"No crack of anything! How about noon?"
The M.E. curbed her impulse to protest for an earlier time, figuring this was as good as she would get it. "See you then."
"And I'll make sure to make something scrumptious for lunch!" Angela chimed in, wanting to be included somehow.
"I can't wait." Jane said, not even trying to hide the sarcasm. Just as she headed out she heard her brother call her name.
"Jane! Wait up!"
She stopped and turned around as she started to close the door.
"Let's, uh, make this a little more interesting." He said, shutting it all the way.
"Do you really think gambling with a cop while you're on parole is the best idea?"
"Not with money… just – okay hear me out. I know you're not exactly thrilled about the idea of me an' Maura spending time together so… if I win, I get to go out with her."
"No!"
"But, Jane, I'm not gonna hurt her or anything. C'mon, just one date!"
"I mean it, no!"
"Why not? Besides, I was just being polite goin' to her best friend first and all; I can always see her without asking!"
"No! Hands off, she's mine!" She said without even thinking.
Tommy's eyebrows raised and he looked at her with an incredulous expression. "Yours? You don't own her, Janey! She's just your best friend!"
"Well I certainly don't want you dating her!"
"Screw you, Jane!" He spat out. "Just cause you're older doesn't mean you can tell me what to do! And I intend on winning her heart at the game tomorrow."
She sneered back at him. "Bring it!" She stormed off to her car, still seething at the confrontation. She didn't quite understand why she was so against him dating Maura – the few girlfriends he had, he always treated with respect. As she got in her car and started driving she mulled on the topic. It took her almost the entire drive time for a realization to hit her. It wasn't just Tommy she didn't want Maura to date, it was anybody. She hated the whole Ian thing, and the Giovanni saga – sans the last bit, of course – and any other guy she dated. Why was she so against her best friend finding love?
Maybe it was because they always ended badly, she mused. She hated more than anything seeing her best friend upset after a bad breakup and, so, she never wanted it to happen again. It made sense until she brought in the fact that she hates it when Maura's in the lovey-dovey stage with another person and she was rooting for the breakup. No normal best friend would do that, right?
After she parked, made it through the four-story walk-up and greeted Joe at the door, she plopped down on the couch. She frantically scoured her memory for any clue, from the moment she met the quirky M.E. up to now. She bolted up when she found the answer in her more recent memory – from earlier that night. She claimed Maura as hers without even thinking about it. Stunned by the sudden revelation of possible feelings towards her best friend she decided to head to bed where she got not one minute of sleep.
XXXXX
"So, lunch is done and the game's all set up. Where is Jane?" Maura said after she set out the plates on the table.
"She probably chickened out." Tommy grinned. Victory was his, he thought, until the door swung open.
"Sorry I'm late." Jane said, slightly bleary eyed. Though she was tired, she was burning with a new-found motivation to win. She had been kept up all night by her racing mind and discovered something fantastic – she was deeply in love with her best friend. And there was no way she was letting her brother win this one.
"Just in time, Janey." He said, trying his best not to show his disdain. "We almost had a forfeit here."
"Don't think you're gonna win that easily." She said, matching his seething glare.
Angela stepped between them. "Did I miss something? You two haven't acted like this since the year we could only send one of you to camp."
"It's nothing, Ma." She said. "So, should we get to it?" She asked, making a bee-line for the set up.
"Not so fast, young lady!" The oldest Rizzoli said. "I made lunch! And there will be no playing until after you've finished your vegetables!"
Groaning came from both Jane and Tommy at that and they headed to the table to sit across from one another, as Maura and Angela took the opposing ends of the table.
The four ate in silence for a few minutes, Tommy and Jane not once breaking their ever intensifying glare. Maura glanced curiously at them but chalked it up to sibling rivalry. Angela, however, had an inkling of what was going on and cleared her throat, trying to break it up.
"So… Tommy, when do you think you'll get around to fixing the door?"
"He doesn't need to. I'll just call someone to fix it."
"Nonsense! He was the one who broke it!"
"Um… actually…" She said, figuring the truth would be the best way to go.
"I'd be glad to fix it!" He chimed in, breaking the gaze for the chance to suck up to Maura.
"You sure?"
"Definitely. I'll get right on it after I beat Jane."
"You mean after I beat you?"
He growled and got right back to glaring at her. "Not a chance, roly-poly Rizzoli."
She didn't even blink at the name-calling."Really? When's the last time you beat me? Oh, I know. Never!"
"I've had plenty of time in jail to perfect my game. You'll be surprised at how much better I am!"
"We'll see about that."
"Would you like some more potato salad?" Angela offered to anyone, trying, once again, to break them up. Not getting an answer she sighed and scooped some more on her own plate.
Jane and Tommy shoveled the remainder of their meals into their mouths and, once they cleared their plates, they jumped on over to the chess table and sat behind their respective spots.
"Hey, wait!" Maura called out just as she had finished chewing a piece of chicken. "We need to decide on some ground rules first!"
"FIDE regulations?" Jane offered, earning a nod from her brother.
The M.E. nodded. "That works." She saw Jane's hand reach up to start her clock and spoke again. "You're not going to wait for us to finish, are you?"
"Not a chance."
"Alright, then. Good luck, Jane."
Said woman beamed while Tommy frowned.
"Whatever… let's just do this."
Jane shrugged and started her timer. She moved one of her Pawns up to D4 and hit it again, causing her own to stop and Tommy's to start.
The younger Rizzoli considered something for a moment, letting his hand ghost over his pieces, before moving his Knight to F6.
The game went on for another few minutes before Angela and Maura joined them.
Minutes ticked on as pieces moved around the board. Tommy hit his clock for the umpteenth time and Jane's started. She stared at the board as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of her face. She was having a hard time staying awake so formulating a plan of action was nearly impossible. Not being able to decide on anything good, she decided to just move her Rook up one space.
Tommy looked up at her for a moment, trying to read a strategy behind the tired eyes and looked down at the board. He moved his own Rook to the left one space.
The game went on for another hour as each player tried their best to choose their moves carefully. Jane's pieces, however, began to diminish and she was starting to lose faith in her playing ability.
The ex-con grinned and moved the horse shaped object closer to Jane's side of the board. When Jane tried to retaliate by shifting her Queen away, he moved a Bishop to take in one of her Pawns.
Jane winced, not having mapped out that move in her mind. Her King was now trapped. She sighed and waited for it.
"Checkmate, Janey." Tommy grinned. "Looks like I've won."
"That's not fair… I was up all night. I couldn't think. I want a rematch."
"No way. A deals a deal. You're not gonna back out on it now, are you?"
"I never even agreed to it, moron. And even if I had, there's still no way you're doing that!"
As they continued to argue, Angela leaned over to Maura. "Do you have any idea what they're talking about?"
"Not a clue."
"Good. Me neither." She said, as the bickering veered off from anything she had thought it might be about.
When the quarrel seemed to run its course and tempers began to settle, Maura got up. "Alright, now it looks like it's my turn!"
Jane looked at her and, after shooting one last glare at her brother, she left the room.
All three sets of eyes watched her go. Maura considered for a moment to follow but Tommy spoke up.
"You ready to lose, Isles?"
She looked to him and eager competitiveness shone in her eyes. After she took her seat, the game started and almost everyone in the room forgot about what just happened.
Jane sat down on the bed in the guest room. She couldn't believe how upset she got over losing a stupid game. She knew, though, that it was more than just a game. She didn't want to lose Maura and was afraid that her stupid blunder cost her the love of her life. After steeping in self-hate for a few minutes she collapsed backwards. She couldn't help a smile coming to her face when she remembered the first time she stayed in here. It quickly slipped away at the thought of losing it all.
A knock broke her from her thoughts.
The door opened just enough to allow Angela to peer in. "Everything okay in here, sweetie?"
Jane grumbled and turned to the side, hiding her face from her mother's view.
She took the action – or rather, the lack of protest – as a sign she could go in. Careful not to disturb the tense air in the room she stepped lightly towards the bed and took a seat. A few moments later she delicately placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"No."
"Can you at least tell me what happened in there? I'm a bit confused; you've never been a sore loser."
"It's not about the game, Ma."
"Did you and Tommy get into a fight?"
"N – kinda…. I don't know."
"If you don't tell me I won't be able to help you."
Jane rolled her eyes. "I don't want help. And it doesn't matter anyway, Tommy won."
"So it was about the game?"
"Just leave it."
She sighed. "Fine. I think they're almost done in there anyway. I'll just send Dr. Isles in."
She sat up. "No!"
"N-no?"
"I, uh… I'll just go home. Just tell Maura I'm tired and don't tell her anything about this conversation." She said with as much seriousness as her exhausted state could muster before she got up and left the room.
"But, Jane – " Her words were cut off by the slamming of the bedroom door.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Tommy asked, meeting her in the hallway on his way to the bathroom.
"Don't you have a game to play?"
"It's over. Maura won, of course. She really is amazing. I'm gonna love spending time with her on our date tomorrow night."
"D-date? You mean she said yes?"
"Of course. No woman can resist the Rizzoli charm." He said with a smirk.
Jane just deflated. "I don't even want to argue with you right now. I'm going home."
Tommy watched her retreating figure with confusion. He was looking forward to the bickering he was sure was going to follow. But instead of getting her riled up like he thought he would she seemed more… depressed. He couldn't think about it too long, though, as the three cups of water he had during lunch were starting to take their effect.
Just as she thought she was home free she heard the only voice in the world that could stop her: Maura's.
"Jane? Where did you go? You missed my flawless Sicilian-Najdorf defense."
She noted the odd behavior and cocked her head to the side. "You're not your usual self today. What's wrong?"
"You have a date with my brother tomorrow. I don't see how anyone can see something right with that!"
"What? No, that's not a date."
"It's not?"
"No… we're just going out to dinner."
"Hmm… two single adults going out to dinner. Sure sounds like a date to me."
"Or it could just be me trying to get to know one of your family members."
"Why can't you stick to chess… when I'm in the room…"
"You can come with us."
She perked up at that. "I can?"
"Wait, what?" Tommy walked in, hearing the tail-end of the conversation. "No she can't! I thought it was just you and me, Maura."
"Looks like you thought wrong." Jane said, shooting him a haughty look.
"C'mon. I won this competition fair and square so I get to take her out. Without you!"
"Hold on!" Maura stopped them, holding up her hands for added effect. "You two were competing over me?"
"Sorta…?" The detective answered.
"Jane, you can't decide who I can or cannot go out with." She said, thinking that's all it was about. "I am capable of making my own decisions."
She sulked back into her previous state. "Fine… now that I've lost you forever I should just go…"
The wording seemed a little extreme in Maura's mind and she grabbed Jane's shoulder, keeping her there. "What do you mean by that?"
Figuring one last ditch effort wouldn't hurt, she confessed very thing that was keeping her up the previous night. "I love you, okay? I'm in love with you. Me and Tommy were sorta competing for your heart and he won, so…"
Maura laughed. "But, Jane, there was never any reason for competition. You're the one that I want."
In the fastest mood turn-around in history, Jane beamed. "You're not gonna sing now, are you?"
Maura tilted her head. "I don't follow."
"Grease?"
She shook her head, still not understanding.
"Wow, Maura… okay, how about instead of hitting the bars we do movie nights. You've got a lot of catching up to do." She laughed and then turned to her brother. "Look, I'm sorry about being such a jerk about all this… you'll find yours soon enough, I'm sure."
"Whatever…" He said, waving her off and heading into the living room to catch the latest game. Though he didn't want to admit it at that moment, he was actually happy with the outcome. He knew, in the long run, this was the way things were meant to be.
"Did you really mean that, Maura?"
The M.E. just smiled and placed a kiss on her lips. "Of course. And I love you too. I have for awhile."
"How did you keep something like that from me?"
"Well, I've had to learn to be very… creative… with my lie avoidances."
Jane laughed, thinking back to when she was hiding from the sensitivity training people. "So, uh… does this mean if I become a world class chess champion you'll sleep with me?"
Maura reached up and placed her hand at the back of Jane's neck. She pulled her in for a much longer and passion filled kiss than the last one. When they broke away she kept their distance close and whispered on her lips."Why wait? Your place?"
She broke away. "Screw that, let's just kick them out!"
The shorter woman gave her a look.
Jane sighed. "I'll get my keys."