AU: I own nothing :] This is just my latest offering to the Rizzoli and Isles fandom. This chapter is a little slow, but don't worry - it all picks up in the later chapters! Please read & review!
"Mrs Dalloway said she would buy the flowers herself," Maura said quietly, under her breath. She picked up the bouquet before her, her hands wrapping gracefully around the green stems of the roses and lilies; raising it to her face and inhaling its' glorious scent. The colours of the flowers were bright and vibrant, hues of red and orange; the colours contrasting and reminding her of a bright summers' evening as the sun lowered its position in the evening sky.
"What?" Jane grunted under her breath, moving past Maura down the aisles filled with flora and doing a full circle of the florists' shop before returning back to Maura's side. She looked around her impatiently.
"These will be my flowers, and I want to choose them, myself." She looked at Jane, placing the bouquet back into the vase, moving to the left and inspecting the next bouquet of gerberas. Jane visibly shrugged nonchalantly. "Virginia Woolf, Jane. A Literary genius..." She picked up the bouquet and inspected it, before placing it back down again. "I don't just want any flowers, I want the most beautiful, perfect bouquet," she begun.
"Flowers aren't that important, Maura. What's important is that we are getting married, and that we love each other," Jane began, moving towards her blonde fiancée and placing a kiss upon her cheek.
Maura nodded, and blushed slightly – unused to Jane's public display of affection. "Did you know, the significance of bouquets at weddings was established centuries ago; and they would often be made of herbs and garlic cloves to ward off any evil spirits which may have been a threat to the couples' future."
Jane almost felt her eyes rolling into her head as she listened to Maura's 'googlemouth' run its course. She leaned forward and picked up a bunch of white calla lilies, holding them out towards Maura. "How about these? These are ... nice..."
Maura looked shocked as she took a step backwards, looking at Jane with a raised eyebrow. "Those are the flowers of death, Jane! They used to lay these on the graves of dead innocents - Is that what you think of our marriage? Am I the boulder that is tied around your ankle? The old "ball and chain?"
Jane put the flowers down, her arms crossing over her chest. "Don't you think you're over-reacting slightly? I never said that – "
"...Because if that is what you think, Jane Angela Rizzoli, then you can forget it! Forget the whole damn thing!" Maura continued, not even having heard Jane's words of protest. It was as if the red mist had descended throughout Maura's entire being. She had spent months planning this wedding, their wedding, and every single detail – no matter how small – was important and to be considered. Maura had forgotten how many cups of coffee she had gulped down this morning before leaving and she certainly couldn't remember when the last time she got a decent nights' sleep. To anybody else, yes, they may have just been flowers, but after everything they had been through – all of the drama, the fights and the nights spent justifying their relationships to both sets of parents; they were just as important as their outfits, or their rings. Everything had to be perfect; she and Jane were only going to have one wedding day, one ceremony, one set of vows. When she had stopped thinking, she began to process what had shot out of her mouth in a moment of instantly regrettable madness. She looked towards the taller brunette, her face softening immediately and her gaze falling towards the floor.
Jane's face was crestfallen; she couldn't believe what Maura had just said, no, yelled at her – in front of an entire store. Sure, over the years they had endured their petty fights and squabbles; most had been forgotten about as soon as they were over, but nothing had been said in such a finalizing manner as this. She wasn't sure whether to walk out of there quickly, partly from embarrassment, partly from shock; or to stay there and talk it out with Maura. Whatever she tried to do, her feet seemed pretty stuck to the floor and her pulse was quickening. Unlike her usual cool and collected composure, Jane felt her cheeks grow to a pale blush and her voice lost.
"Jane, I didn't mean it – I'm sorry," Maura started. She moved towards the officer, her arm reaching out to grasp Jane's bicep. "I just need this day to be perfect, and I've been worrying about it and – I'm sorry," her voice softened and her breath hitched from her chest.
"I just can't believe you would say something like that, never mind the circumstances. You're so caught up in the design of this wedding that I think you've forgotten what it's all about, Maura. Us, you and I and the love that we share for one another. Forget the flowers, forget the dress, hell – forget the guests! I don't care about any of it. The ceremony relies on love, Maura, and I can't believe that you've just made me doubt our relationship for the first time, and over a bunch of shitty flowers!" Jane raised her arm in anger, and threw it down amongst a bed of roses, sending petals soaring into the air, almost in slow motion as the brunette stormed out of the shop and the medical examiner stood in a shower of red, yellow and apricot coloured petals.