AN: To those of you who left decent reviews: Thank you. For those who did nothing but insult my choice of pairing: go to hell. I don't go into a clearly marked Rizzles story and insult it. This story is and was clearly marked. If you don't like it, don't read it. I have to say, I almost decided to scrap the story because I've never been so offended in my life, but that would just be letting the idiots win. Also, to CJUnited38: Thank you for your kind words. To Dada: thank you for keeping an open mind. And to the Rizzles fan who sent me a PM apologizing on behalf of the rude members of your fandom: thank you for remembering that this site is supposed to be about help, encouragement, and fun. Hope those who legitimately want to read this story for what it's about: Let's get on with the show!
Maura had quickly excused herself to set out towels in the guest bath. By the time she had emerged back into the adjacent bedroom, Frankie was sitting on the edge of the queen sized bed. His tie was on the dresser, his shoes beneath it, and his shirt was untucked and unbuttoned, revealing the white tank top beneath it.
She couldn't help but quickly study his musculature. She knew he had been training with Martinez since being promoted, and it was really starting to show.
"See something you like?" His question pulled her mind back to reality and her eyes up to meet his.
She could feel her cheeks flush and she stuttered, trying to find something to say other than 'yes'.
A smile spread on his face. "I'm kidding. But, seriously, thanks for letting me crash tonight. I really am exhausted."
She risked taking a few steps toward him. "You're welcome here any time. It really is amazing how you take care of your family. You are amazing."
His grin widened. "You're pretty amazing yourself." Somehow his comment ratcheted up the tension in the room and his smile faded.
She started speaking before she was sure of what she was going to say. "Frankie, I..."
He cut her off with a shake of his head. "Maura, I know I still owe you an awkward conversation, but you deserve to have it be when I've had more than two hours of sleep gotten at my desk. Maybe once we close this case we can grab dinner, just the two of us, and talk?"
She forced herself to smile despite the twisting in her stomach. "I'd like that." It wasn't a lie. She really did want to talk to him. But, that also meant she needed to figure out what she was feeling, and quickly. She took a step toward the door. "Well, goodnight. If you need anything, let me know."
"Thanks again, Maura. Goodnight.
She could feel his eyes following her as she exited the room, pulling the door closed behind herself.
Jane froze as she heard her apartment door close. "Frankie?" She hoped her early morning visitor wasn't her brother, but he'd be a better option than her mother.
"No. It's me."
She sighed in relief when she heard Maura's voice. "I'm in here and I need help!"
Her best friend appeared in the doorway, surveying the mess within her bedroom. "What happened here? Was there a break in?"
Jane could feel her eyes sting, but she swore to herself she wasn't going to cry. "None of it fits right! I need to leave for work in fifteen minutes and I've got nothing to wear.
Maura looked like she was considering rolling her eyes, but she didn't. "Jane, if anything, it should all be too loose. You've lost five pounds in the last two weeks. Your reaction right now is the result of changing hormonal levels, a lack of sleep, and caffeine withdrawal."
The burn in Jane's eyes intensified and she could feel them fill with tears. "So now I'm hormonal and I have no clothes on!"
The ME sighed and surveyed the room, quickly plucking a pair of slightly elastic pants and a loose fitting shirt from the mess. She pushed them at their owner. "Put these on. And the black jacket on the yellow hanger. I'm going to make you some herbal tea to help reduce your stress level."
Before she could object, Maura turned and exited the room. The detective quickly put the clothing in her hand on, adding the jacket as instructed. She carefully surveyed herself in the mirror. Satisfied that her coworkers and family wouldn't be able to guess her secret, she grabbed a pair of socks and headed for the kitchen.
She was met in the hallway by the smell of food and her stomach churned. "Please tell me you didn't bring breakfast. You know I haven't been able to eat before noon all week."
As she slid onto one of the chairs at the counter, Maura set a cup of tea before her. "Drink that. The ginger in it should help settle your stomach. Your mother sent fresh banana bread for you so you have to at least try to eat some. Just be thankful that I offered to bring it to you. She was trying to send it to the precinct with Frankie. At least if you vomit here, you won't have to come up with an excuse for it."
Jane dutifully took a sip of the tea as she processed through what her friend had just said. "Wait, why was Frankie over there so early? Tommy didn't get into trouble again, did he?"
Maura was still bustling around the kitchen, warming the bread and hunting for a clean knife to spread cream cheese on it. "No, Tommy's fine And he wasn't over early. He spent the night at my house last night."
Jane nearly sprayed tea all over the kitchen, choking on it slightly instead. "What?"
Her best friend really did roll her eyes this time. "In my guestroom. He stopped over late to talk to your mother. She wanted him to stay with her but he wouldn't with Tommy there, so I offered him my spare room."
"Why couldn't he stay at his own place? He's got one all to himself." Jane finished off her tea.
Maura retrieved the plate of banana bread from the microwave and began spreading cream cheese on each slice. "He's exhausted Jane. Between this case you guys are working and being worried about you, he's not sleeping much. It wasn't safe for him to drive home."
The tea actually had helped settle her stomach, so Jane reached for a slice of her mother's homemade breakfast. "Why is he worried about me?"
Another eye roll from Maura as she picked up her own tea cup. "Your mother is too. You have refused to talk to either of them about Frost. They know Casey isn't coming home, but you won't talk about that either. You've lost weight. You look exhausted. And, they know you're holding something back from them."
Jane nibbled a small bite from the bread in her hand, swallowing tentatively. "I know, but I just don't know how to tell them. Frankie's going to want to kill him, and Ma will have an aneurism. I just can't handle it right now."
Maura nodded. "I know. You're going through a lot right now. But, you don't have to go through it alone. While I agree that your family will, initially have...forceful reactions, ultimately they will support you. I can be there with you when you do it."
She took a larger bite of her breakfast and shook her head. "Not yet. I need to focus on getting through this case and my doctor appointment tomorrow. Then I can try to figure out how to tell my Catholic family that yet another next generation Rizzoli is being born out of wedlock. And then I can figure out how to tell my Lieutenant that, even though he just lost one of his detectives, I'm going to have to have duty restrictions. And while I'm at it, I can figure out how to tell Casey that he's going to be a father."
As Maura's hand came to rest on her arm, Jane blinked hard against the sting of tears. "I just don't know how to do it all."
Maura gave her arm a gentle squeeze. "You are extremely intelligent. You'll figure it out. Why don't you start small? Tell Korsak. He seems to be proficient at secret keeping, and he may have some good advice to offer in regards to Cavanaugh."
Jane took a deep breath and nodded. "You're right. He's known Cavanaugh a long time. Maybe I'll get him to go to lunch with me." Her eyes flicked toward the clock on the microwave. "Crap. I gotta go." She dropped her largely uneaten breakfast back on the plate and slid from the stool.
She clipped her gun into place on her belt and, after searching for it for a long moment, did the same to her badge. She checked her pocket to ensure her cell phone was present then slid the small wallet she carried on the job into the other.
By the time she made it to the door, Maura was waiting there with a Tupperware in her hand. "Here, try to eat some more on the way."
Jane took the container and stepped toward the door, then paused. "Maura, thank you for being such a great friend."
"Thank you for teaching me how."