I'm back lol I keep saying it, and I will follow through at some point, but I promise my updates will get more regular at some point. To those who don't sign in and review, here are my replies.
Guest - I'm glad you like how I write Jane and Maura. I put a lot of effort into research and authenticity when it comes to these sort of stories, and I'm stoked you can enjoy it! I love taking them out of their home world but trying to get them to still fit into their roles somehow.
Riviera - here's another chapter!
Rain - I'm glad you liked it
HBO 123 - hardly brilliant, but Kim glad you like it :)
There's a question at the end of this chapter for you guys, don't skip it or you'll miss an opportunity for a one shot of your choice.
Read on!
"No, absolutely not. I'm not futzing around for some dewdropper just because you-"
"Jane Clementine, you will watch your language with me! Don't think you're too old for me to bend over my knee!" Angela stared hard at Jane in full 'mom mode,' hands on hips, jaw clenched, face set stubbornly – much the same as Jane's was, with the same mulish expression on her face.
Jane growled and crossed her arms. "Why did you do this to me?"
"Why did I care? Why did I want to see my only daughter happy? Why did I want to know she would be taken care of when I'm gone?" Angela's voice gradually rose and her accent became heavier with each pointed word. She jabbed her finger at Jane's chest as she stood toe to toe with her and stared up into her face. "Why can't you do this one thing for me, eh? You need someone to take care of you, Janie; you aren't always going to be a young, capable girl. Just this one thing for me, please."
Angela's voice was soft and pleading at the end of her rant, eyes filled with want, and Jane found her willful stubbornness breaking beneath the entreating expression. "Fine! Fine, geez, don't pull that with me! Laying the guilt on a little thick, aren't you?"
"It worked, didn't it?" Angela smiled mirthfully and swatted Jane's hip with her towel. "Dinner is at four this afternoon, wear something nice."
Jane's jaw dropped when Angela dismissed her and she stalked out the door, slamming it in her wake as she took the stairs two at a time and jogged back out onto the sidewalk. She stared up at the building for a second and cursed under her breath, then started meandering back toward her block, pausing when she passed by a closed storefront. The glass windows were smashed and the door hung crookedly from its broken hinges, groaning pathetically in the afternoon breeze. Across the wooden door, someone had painted Leave America Wops and KKK, and a half-burnt cross was laid on the stoop amongst soapy ashes. She sneered and scoffed at the display and kept walking, eyes occasionally scanning other shops for signs of vandalism.
By the time she walked into the hallway of her apartment building, she was fighting a tension headache and contemplated skipping out on dinner, but groaned when she realized how much more of a headache she would have from dealing with the fallout of that decision, so she reluctantly started digging through her wardrobe and tossed a few articles of clothing on her bed. She tried on two dresses and yanked the third off in disgust, whipping it toward a corner of her room, then pursed her lips at the fourth and sighed in resignation as she pulled it over her head. She stared at herself critically in the mirror and pulled her lips to one side contemplatively before nodding at her reflection and dug for some jewelry and a jacket to wear over the dress. She pulled a purse out of the depths of her wardrobe and stuffed her wallet, some cash, and her keys into it, then toed on some short heels and locked her door when she left.
She made the walk back to Angela's in short order and had just taken her coat off when someone knocked and Angela excitedly opened it to the Talucci's. Jane pasted a smile on her lips and politely accepted the handshake from Giovanni and Giorgio, and Carla's painted buss to her cheek, which she discreetly wiped at after she turned her back. They all sat at the table and made quiet conversation as dinner was served, and Jane was silently praying for everyone to keep their mouths full to sustain the peaceful lull.
She sighed forlornly when Angela set her silverware down and glanced pointedly at Jane before turning to Giovanni and Giorgio. "So, Carla, how's your daughter's newest doing?"
"Oh, she's just precious! She just started focusing on us in the last week, and her eyes are always looking at everything so curiously, it's adorable!"
Carla rambled on excitedly as Giovanni rolled his eyes good naturedly and visibly puffed up. "It's just good genes, Carla. She's got the Talucci tenacity, there's no question."
Angela cooed and laid her hand on the table. "Oh, I'm so happy for you; I wish my kids would give me grandbabies, but, you know…Frankie's always down at the docks, I swear he'd grow fins and gills if he could."
"Your other boy went missing, didn't he?" Giovanni interjected with a frown. "A shame, he's a good looking lad, quite the ladies man, I bet."
Angela's face fell and Jane clenched her jaw. "My Tommy disappeared nearly six months ago – I wish I knew what happened."
Her jaw trembled and Giovanni scoffed. "I'll tell you what happened; the boy didn't have his father around, no strong male figure to show him how to be a man's man." He thumped his chest and Jane's lip curled. "This generation," he said with a voice full of derision, "full of nothing but fairies and women with foolish ideas in their heads. When I was younger, men were men and women knew their place. There was none of this business of women working or men deciding they…" Giovanni trailed off with an exasperated scoff and waved his hand. "I raised my boy right, and I know all your kids need is a male figure to show them how to behave. Find a man for your girl to marry and-"
"And what?" Jane pushed away from the table so forcefully her chair fell over backwards and all of the dishes on the tabletop shifted dangerously. "Push out a few babies like a good wife? Stay in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant with dinner ready on the table when my husband walks through the door, smile on my face and eyes lowered like some fucking sap?"
"Janie!"
"No! I've held my tongue long enough; you need to hear something, sir, so open those ears good and wide." She planted her palms on the table and leaned across it furiously. Her eyes glittered like black diamonds as she snarled in rage at Giovanni. "I am not chattel to be sold to the highest bidder, I will never just bow to someone who thinks they're better than me because of what's between their legs, and if you think that's all that matters, then let me tell you something; you, sir, can go chase yourself down those stairs and onto the fucking street for all I care right now."
Jane was breathing heavily by the time she stopped speaking and stared straight into Giovanni's eyes as he sat, wide eyed and silent, across from her. She felt Angela set her hand on her arm and shook it off angrily. "You know what? I've just remembered I have somewhere to be. Have a wonderful night, don't let the door hit you in the ass when you leave."
Jane left in an irate sweep of skirts and pulled her coat and purse off the rack as she slammed the door behind her. She stomped down the stairs and stalked down the street, stewing silently as she let her feet take her where they wanted to. By the time she shook off her enraged musings and looked around, she realized she had walked far enough to be a couple blocks away from the bar and let her pace slow. She meandered toward the Causeway and let herself into the shop that hid the speakeasy, nodding at the man behind the counter as she slipped into the booth and let herself into the bar. She walked down the stairs and wove around the tables toward the bar, pouring a drink from beneath the bar and leaving the glass on the counter.
Jane ran her palm across the veneer of the piano in the corner and sat on the stool in front of the ivory keys. She splayed her hands across the face of it, gently pressing on the keys, and listened to the chord she struck. Out of habit, her fingers began dancing across the keys, drawing a melancholic sound from the strings. It slowly transitioned to something more jazzy, although still subdued, and Jane let her thoughts wander again as she played. She leaned into the motions and closed her eyes, letting the sound and feeling sweep her away, hair falling over her face as her fingers tripped over keys and coaxed a beautiful, haunting melody from the piano. She only stopped once her fingers began cramping up, letting the sound die naturally, and stared at the keys with a faraway look in her eyes.
She jumped in fright when a quiet clapping broke the calm silence and whipped around. Korsak stood in the doorway of the kitchen with a broad smile on his face and approached when she let out a breath. "That was beautiful, Janie." He sat down on the stool next to her and let out a surprised sound when she laid her head on his shoulder. "What's going on, kiddo?"
"Can I just…just hold me, old man?" Jane turned her head into his shoulder, smelled his comforting scent and shut her eyes, letting the last of the tension bleed out of her. Korsak wrapped his arm around her waist and hummed agreeably; their breaths were the only sound in the speakeasy for some time until Jane sat up with a deep sigh and roughly carded her fingers through her curls. "Thanks."
"You know you can bend my ear if you need it," Korsak offered.
"I'm fine. I just…might have accidently stepped in it? Like, up to the knee?" Korsak blinked at her and Jane winced. "I may have yelled at the Talucci's at dinner this afternoon?"
"Jane…"
"It wasn't my fault!" She said emphatically. "Giovanni was being a misogynist bastard and I just…" She made a helpless noise and spread her arms wide.
Korsak sighed and hugged her, cupping the back of her head. "Okay, Janie. I'm not excusing what you did," he said sternly, "but…I suppose concessions can be made. That's why you're wearing your glad rags, eh? I thought maybe you had a hot date? Going hoofing later on?"
Jane scoffed. "Yeah, no. I don't dance, old man."
Korsak chuckled as he stood and walked toward the kitchen again. "You'll find that will change when you meet someone, Janie."
"There's a higher chance of hell freezing over!"
Jane growled irately as she filled drink orders, resolutely ignoring the hand waving from down the bar. She slammed the glasses down on the countertop and grit her teeth when she heard her name over the low murmur of voices. "Janie! Eh, what's it take to get some skee around here?"
She waved off Victoria's apologetic glance and sighed as she walked over to Casey, who was waving his empty tumbler around with a drunken, sloppy grin on his face. "Another?" She asked politely, reaching for the glass.
He held it just out of reach, blatantly giving her outfit the once over and leering at the fitted dress. "I'll take you, after hours," he said, giving what he obviously thought was a charming smile and wink as he finally handed her the tumbler.
Jane snatched it and poured his drink, stalking away when he tried to tuck his money into her hand and hold it. "I'll put it on your tab," she growled, picking up a bottle of vodka for some rowdy dandies at the other end of the bar. She slowly resettled, watching Casey nurse his glass from her periphery as she refilled drinks and took money.
By the time a lull hit, Jane's feet pinched and ached in her kitten heels and she let one dangle from her toes as she stretched her ankle and the arch of her foot. She looked up when a paper wrapped package was pushed into her line of sight and stared into familiar brown eyes set into sloped eyes, above a serious, rounded face.
"Miss Chang."
Susie pushed the package closer and tapped the top of it with her index finger. "Miss Isles sends her regards. She thought you may enjoy this."
"What is it?"
Susie just lifted her eyebrow and planted herself at the bar, taking a glass from behind it and filling it with whiskey. Jane pursed her lips, picking absently at the tape holding the package shut, and sighed as she gently pulled it open. A carefully stenciled box laid inside, scribed with CC, Paris, France, and Jane's breath rushed out as she took the top off. A small glass vial of perfume laid inside, nestled amongst a dark red leather fabric that Jane reverently pulled out and unfolded. Nearly knee length, the rich, blood red leather jacket had large, dark buttons and featured likewise dark cuffs, collar and belt, and was lined with wool. Jane thumbed the supple material with something like awe on her face, then stared at the small bottle of Chanel No. 5 that laid in the box. She met Susie's eyes over the jacket still in her hands and tried to offer the jacket to her, but was waved off. "No returns, Miss Rizzoli. Boss's orders."
"I – I don't…what am I – God." Jane pulled the jacket against her chest and then tucked it back into the box with the perfume and put all of it behind the bar.
She went out pouring drinks absently, unaware of the newly appreciative gazes and mildly propositional words thrown at her. Neither did she notice when Susie started giving the men crowding Jane dangerous, dark looks and subtly flashed her weapon at them as she casually unbuttoned her coat.
At the end of the night, Jane wiped down the bar as the others began sweeping and setting chairs atop tables. Jane startled when Casey grabbed her arm, unaware that he had stayed the entire evening, and glared up at him with vitriol.
"Let me go."
"Aw, don't be like that, Bunny."
"Don't call me that," she sneered, ripping her arm out of his grasp. She reached for the box she had stashed behind the bar and Casey snatched it out of her hands, tearing it open and whistling with a mixture of awe and jealousy in his eyes.
"What mook gave you this? You offer them a view of your bubs? Give some Jigaboo a check or offer to neck?" He sneered nastily, swaying slightly on his feet, and Jane scoffed.
"You're spifflicated, Casey. Give it back to me."
Casey pulled the box closer to him when Jane reached for it and leered. "You gonna give me a show for it? Bet I can give you better," he said, gesturing at his pants with his free hand.
Jane felt her ire grow and a headache bloom behind her temple, surprised when Casey suddenly bent double and the air escaped his lungs in a loud whoof. Jane yanked the box out of his hand and stalked away, offering a thankful look at Susie as she grabbed Casey by his collar and pulled him toward the stairs. She walked out the back into the alley and felt her hair rise at the suddenly cool nip on the air. Looking around surreptitiously, she pulled the long jacket out and shrugged it on, feeling warmer immediately as she left the perfume in the box and tucked it beneath her arm to begin the walk home.
Jane tumbled into her apartment half an hour later, nose and ears pink with cold and hands shoved warmly into the pockets of her jacket. She laid it carefully over the back of a chair and set the box on the table, pausing to contemplatively finger a petal on the orchid in a vase on the table. She stared at the dark grey scarf hanging on a hook by the door and bit her lip, then shook her head and pulled her clothes off as she walked to her bedroom, leaving a trail of clothes that led to her bed as she fell into it and into a dreamless sleep.
Thursday morning came and went with Jane cleaning her apartment anxiously, sweeping and dusting and taking food out of her fridge to make for dinner. She groaned when someone knocked around one in the afternoon, figuring it was Angela come to yell at her for her behavior at the dinner the previous day. She was surprised to find a strange woman on the other side of the door, hair the color of rich mahogany tumbling over a green scarf and intense grey eyes studying her above smiling lips the color of blood.
"Hello, chicken," she said, rich Irish brogue tickling Jane's ears.
"Uhm…hi?"
Jane stood firmly in her doorway, head tilted at the woman, who seemed content to stare at her until Jane shifted uncomfortably. "Oh, I'm terribly sorry! I'm Siobhán, dear. Maura's told me so much about you." Jane's mouth gaped and Siobhán took the hand hanging limply at her side to shake. "Now, let's not give the neighbors a show, eh? Tell me, Jane, what is your intention with Maura?"
She brushed by Jane in a flurry of scarf tails and clean hair, bustling around her kitchen as Jane blinked at the suddenly empty hallway and shut her door with a sigh. She rested her forehead against the wood, thumping it gently once, twice, a third time while muttering under her breath the whole time, and stiffened when Siobhan's hand landed on her back.
"Don't go giving yourself a concussion, dear. Come, sit, I've made some tea."
Jane sat at her table, taking in the kettle whistling on the stovetop and the cups Siobhán had managed to locate, then stared at her back as she brought the cups of steaming tea to the table and sat across from Jane. She dusted her fingers across the collar of the long jacket Jane had slung over the back of a chair, then looked at the orchid on the table with unnerving intensity. Her grey eyes next found Jane's, seeming to stare through her and freezing her in place. "Drink up, chicken. Can't have you acting like this the rest of the day, we've got to get to the drum in…six hours. Plenty of time to get to know each other." She sat more comfortably in the chair and lifted her cup to her lips, watching Jane silently once more.
Jane blinked at the cup before her and opened her mouth a few times before anything remotely resembling actual words came out. "You – who are…you know Maura?"
"Raised the girl, didn't I? Right from the time her mother handed her off to Paddy, barely a month old and tiny as anything. Hair almost white, and the most inquisitive eyes." Siobhán sighed wistfully as she took another sip of her tea, eyes far away. "I brought that girl up right next to mine; God, Maura and Sarah were thick as thieves when they were little. Still are, though they don't see each other often anymore. The trouble they get into…"
She clicked her tongue and shook her head, meeting Jane's eyes. "Did you ever hear about an…incident on Boston University's campus involving two young women on horses?"
Jane snorted into the cup she had just lifted to her lips, slopping some over the rim. "Who hasn't? Two young skirts rode naked across campus to protest something. They didn't get caught, though I don't have a clue in hell how not."
Siobhán smiled crookedly and laughed. "My girls decided that the budget cuts on the science and liberal arts departments were unjust and…let's say, made a point."
"Maura?"
"Oh yes," Siobhán nodded sagely. "My fiery little hellraisers, both of them. Those girls got into trouble together as soon as they could conceive of the idea, and it hasn't ever stopped."
They each drank from their cups, thinking to themselves until Siobhán shook her head and set her empty cup down. She leaned across the table and caught Jane's eyes. "You never did answer my question, though."
"Which one?" Jane retorted nervously.
"What are your intentions with Maura?"
"My – intentions? I don't have any!"
Siobhán lifted an eyebrow in disbelief. "Don't try and send me on a trip for biscuits, chicken. That girl has done nothing but talk about you since you met, she's sending you gifts for God's sake!"
"I don't know why! Ask her!"
"Why have you kept them, then?"
"I – I can't – Susie said – what-"
"If you'd seriously wanted to return them, Miss Chang and Mister Drake would have taken them," Siobhán said. "Maura would not force anything upon you. So, I ask you again, why have you kept her gifts to you?"
Jane spread her hands on the table and looked at the jacket on the chair back, the orchid on the table, the box of Chanel pushed off to the side, and the scarf hanging by the door. "I…thought she was apologizing to me," she said quietly, uncertainly.
Siobhán's eyes softened as she reached across the table to take Jane's hand in hers. "Aye, it is that. But she's courting you, too, dear. She's only sent gifts out to anyone twice before in her short life. You make the third time."
She squeezed Jane's limp hand. "I've never seen her so confounded by someone, Jane. You infuriate her, it's true – I had never seen her in such a temper before the night you two met," she said with laughter in her voice. "But I've never seen her quite so besotted, either. I knew I had to meet you."
Jane shut her eyes and squeezed Siobhán's hand, once, then again. "I don't know – I haven't…but-"
"Have you ever been in love, dear?"
Jane stared at Siobhán with wide eyes and shook her head. "It's a feeling like, like you're out of control. Like you're in one of those fancy new breezers that speed down the road and don't have any brakes. Or the feeling you get just before moving somewhere different. Fear, excitement, adrenaline – it's intoxicating and fulfilling and grand."
Jane thought about the way she had felt when she fought with Maura – powerful, angry, yes, but intrigued by the gleam in hazel eyes. The way her breath rushed out when Maura shoved her against the brick wall and their bodies seemed to melt together as they went toe to toe.
Full lips brushing hers for an instant.
"She – I mean we-"
"It can be scary," Siobhán said softly, smiling at Jane. "It's not worth it if it doesn't make your stomach twist like a dervish though, if you don't feel like you need to throw up but like you'll die if you don't see them again. If your palms sweat whenever you see them, everything else goes a little fuzzy around the edges…passion and lust kindles it, but love – that's what drives us."
Siobhán studied Jane's eyes for a long moment, appearing satisfied by the emotions lurking within when she nodded and sat back. "Now, chicken, tell me about yourself."
Jane's eyes wandered through the evening at the speakeasy, continually glancing toward the far end of the bar where Siobhán had planted herself with a tumbler full of dark amber liquor that she slowly nursed. Her grey eyes seemed to be everywhere, tracing the paths of the waiters that bustled between the tables, watching the patrons grow more rowdy as the evening progressed, and studying Jane and Victoria as they worked behind the bar. Jane felt a thrill any time her eyes caught Siobhan's, but she slowly settled back into her normal routine, smiling politely and fending off drunken leers and words with the ease that experience leant her.
She turned with a couple glasses full in her hands and barely spared a thought when someone grabbed her arm, shaking them off to set the glasses on the bar top. "What can I-"
Her eyes finally turned to the man who had grabbed her and Jane froze when she realized it was Casey, eyes just a little bloodshot and cocksure grin planted firmly on his lips. "Hey, Janie."
"Don't call me that."
Jane bustled to the other end of the bar, growling as she realized Casey was doggedly pushing through the thick crowd to stay close to her. "Hey, bunny, where are you going? I thought we were going to talk tonight."
"Go away, Casey." Jane planted her palms flat on the counter, narrowing her eyes pointedly at Casey when he only smiled wider and tried to grab her hand. She jerked back with a sneer on her lips, ignoring his put upon expression. "I told you I wasn't interested, or didn't you hear me the first time?"
"Aw, come on, don't be like that, Bun-"
"I swear to God, if you finish that sentence, I'm going to punch your lights out."
"Is there a problem here?"
Both Casey's and Jane's attention were diverted to Siobhán, who stood behind them with an easy smile on her face, though her eyes were locked on Casey with intent. "Just talking to my girl, ma'am."
"That's it, I'm goi-"
Jane leapt at Casey over the bar, barely held back by Siobhán as she smoothly stepped between them. "How about you and I take a walk, young man?" She took Casey's arm in an iron grip and steered him toward the back, tossing a wink over her shoulder at Jane. Jane stared after them for a long moment, her rage drifting away with the absence of her target, and took a couple deep breaths to center herself before returning to her duties, barely noticing when Siobhán walked back across the bar and planted herself back in her chair.
By the end of the night, Jane's feet were aching and she gratefully toed off her kitten heels as Frost and a couple others started putting chairs up. She was putting the bottles beneath the bar when someone knocked on the wood, dragging her attention from the murky bottles. Siobhán stood with a box beneath her arm and Jane rolled her eyes. "Let me guess, another gift from Maura?"
"Indeed, chicken. Are you ready?"
"For?"
"Me to walk you home."
"Excuse me?"
"Well, I can't just let you walk by yourself, especially after I had such an informative talk with that young soldier. Come, I'll take you back to your little flat, and leave this with you then." Siobhán took Jane's arm, barely waiting for her to pull her jacket on before she was yanking her out the door and leading her down the sidewalk.
The quiet, though awkward, was peaceful, and they reached Jane's door soon after. They idled in the hallway, Jane avoiding the sly grey eyes that were studying her and toying with her key in her pocket. "Now, Maura didn't tell me anything, and it's truly none of my business, but I've never seen Maura behave like this with anyone before. She's certainly made her share of mistakes with people, but she's always simply moved on. So there's something special about you, that she's gone to so much trouble to get back into your good graces." Siobhán set the package into Jane's limp grip and pursed her lips a little. "Just think about it, chicken. Have a good night."
Without another word, she left, and Jane watched her disappear down the stairs before unlocking her door and walking into her apartment. She sighed as her shoes came off and sat at the table, shrugging her jacket off so it pooled between her back and the chair, and stared at the wrapped package before her warily. With a sigh that seemed to come from the tips of her toes, she pulled the top off the gift.
Jane poured shots in a row, spilling drops of bathtub rum over the rims of the glasses, and shuffled them over to the patrons, pulling more shot glasses from beneath the counter to refill them immediately as they were tossed back. The speakeasy was full from wall to wall, the Friday night crowd loud and rowdy as usual, though no one worried about being busted by a hard nosed Bull when a nearby table was full of detectives and off duty cops. Jane smiled genially at the raucous crowd and filled glasses to the brim to be passed down while Victoria worked the other end of the bar.
Frost caught her eye on his way to a table and winked, doing a quick salute with his free hand as he balanced a tray of food on his shoulder, and Jane crossed her eyes at him playfully. Someone was playing a show tune on the piano in the corner and a few couples danced energetically to the upbeat music while others played cards at a few tables on the wall. Jane leaned down and dug into the pocket of the red leather jacket she had stuffed beneath the bar, pulling a Hershey Kiss out of the pocket with a happy sound. She unwrapped the tin foil and pulled the little white flag away from the chocolate with a flourish before popping it in her mouth, humming as the candy started melting on her tongue.
"Hey, can a soldier get a kiss from a tight little Jane?"
The candy soured on her tongue when Jane recognized Casey's voice and she glared at him with a vicious sneer curling the edge of her lip. "Go play in traffic, you futzing sap," she said bluntly.
Casey blinked, and then laughed riotously, wiping the corners of his eyes after he got himself under control. "Oh, man, you wound me, Janie! Here I am, this nice fella come to see you tonight, and that's the reception I get?" He smiled at her winsomely, though it fell a little flat when Jane only crossed her arms with a dark look in her eyes. "Aw, c'mon, doll, I'm shipping out this weekend, can't you just-"
"No, I can't just." Jane rolled the Kiss into her cheek and scowled. "You need to leave."
Casey chuckled, barely audible over the din in the speakeasy, but his hand clenched around his drink and Jane lifted her chin stubbornly. He leaned over the bar and took her hand, holding tightly even when she yanked, and she reared back with her free hand balled into a fist when someone grabbed Casey's shoulder.
Jane looked at the long, elegant fingers curled over the shoulder of his heavy, careworn jacket and felt a sense of relief even as her stomach twisted anxiously. "I believe she told you to leave."
"And who the hell do you think you are, eh?"
"Just a concerned friend." Maura smiled darkly at Casey and tightened her grip.
He winced and trembled as pressure was put on him, releasing Jane's hand with twitching fingers and lowering his shoulder in an effort to reduce the shooting pains crawling up and down his arm. "Alright, alright, you made your point!"
"I don't believe I have, mister. Why don't you and I go have an enlightening chat out back? Come along." Keeping a firm grip on his shoulder, Maura frog marched Casey through the kitchen doors, leaving Jane staring with wide eyes as her Kiss melted on her tongue. She dragged a hand down her face and groaned, catching Korsak's eyes when he looked over in concern. She jerked a thumb toward the back door and he nodded, watching her easily maneuver through the crowd until she disappeared.
Jane slipped out the back door, glancing around the dimly lit alley until she found Casey pushed up against the wall closer to the shadows with Maura's hand flat on his chest, pinning him in place. She couldn't hear what was being said, but the low, dangerous sound of Maura's voice made her heartbeat quicken, and she snuck closer. A flash of hazel eyes, grey in the lack of light, told her Maura had noticed her, but she didn't give any other indication as she continued to speak to the soldier pressed into the brick wall.
"I don't care what Miss Rizzoli said at the beginning of the week; no means no."
"I've got needs, you damn vamp. What's a fella to do when some tight little bunny comes on to him and then decides she doesn't want to give a little nookie?" Casey groaned when Maura pressed harder on his chest and grabbed her wrist.
"I don't know about you, but when I don't have a bunny to service me, I tend to use my own two mitts, if you catch my drift."
Jane snorted at the comment and Casey's head whipped over to her. His snarl melted into an amiable smile, even with Maura in front of him, and he wiggled his eyebrows. "C'mon, Janie, tell this overeager high hat that we were just fine before she came along like some fire extinguisher."
"I'm rather enjoying watching her dress you down, actually. This is better than paying to see the Greatest Show on Earth."
Jane crossed her arms to ward off the chill in the air while Maura smirked and caught Casey's attention again. "Did that get through your unusually thick skull? The lady doesn't want your attentions, so I suggest you vacate the premises and don't come back."
"Or what?"
Maura very casually flashed the pistol hidden beneath her jacket. "I assure you, I have means to take care of you."
"That's a load of bushwa! What's a skirt like you doing packing heat, anyway?"
Maura smirked and ignored him, taking the collar of his jacket to pull him away from the wall. "Don't take any wooden nickels, it isn't worth the trouble I'll give you. Now, get home before curfew and you get in trouble." Maura waved at him insouciantly, watching as he straightened his jacket collar and shrugged his shoulders with ease.
"Whatever, you dumb bitch. You can't always be here to pinch me."
"I thought you were leaving this weekend? Unless you want to be court marshaled for being AWOL, and have that mark on your service record, of course."
Casey stared at her with anger flickering in his eyes, then grunted and turned away. "So's your old man," he muttered as he walked away, leaving the alley and disappearing around the corner onto the street.
They waited several protracted seconds until the last of the tension bled out of the shadowed alley, and Maura sighed. Her shoulders dropped, her face lost its hard edges, and Jane watched her re-button her jacket. "We should get back inside, Miss Rizzoli, before you catch your death of cold. It looks like snow tonight."
Jane snorted but let Maura lead her back into the speakeasy, stopping when her hand landed on her arm. Maura looked uncharacteristically demure, eyes lowered and posture withdrawn as she glanced up at Jane through her eyelashes. "I know we haven't exactly gotten off to the best start, but…would you be amenable to going out with me tomorrow night?"
"I – what?"
"Only if you want to, of course. I wouldn't presume to tell you anything, Miss Rizzoli."
"Jane." Maura's head jerked up, eyes lit with a feeling that made Jane's chest swell and her palms sweat. "Aw, don't give me that look. You've been leaving these…gifts for me all week. Lord knows why, considering I've been a right ass to you, but – the least I can do is let you take me out."
Jane offered a shy smile that Maura mirrored brightly, taking her hand excitedly. "That's just nifty, Jane! I can pick you up at yours tomorrow at seven? We can get dinner somewhere, maybe go hoofing later?"
"I – how do you know where I live?" Jane's face twisted and she rolled her eyes. "Nevermind. Siobhán?"
Maura looked a little sheepish, nodding and biting her lip. "I may have asked her to let me know where you lived."
"How in the world did she figure it out?"
"I've learned it's best not to question her ways; Siobhán is – highly capable at getting information."
"You mean like the nugget she dropped about a certain someone riding nude across campus to protest budget cuts?"
Maura flushed crimson, though she threw her hair back and lifted her chin haughtily. "My talents are many and varied," she said with a certain amount of innuendo lacing her tone. "Maybe you'll get a front row seat to that, Jane."
Jane swallowed at the loaded look Maura threw her and took a deep breath. "Maybe I will."
Vocabulary
Wop - slur for Italians, among others
Hoofing - dancing
Skee - scotch whiskey
Mook - average person
Bubs - breasts
'Give some Jigaboo a check or offer to neck?' - asking if jane offered to make out with a black person or have sex with him in exchange for the gifts
Spifflicated - drunk
Drum - speakeasy
Trip for biscuits - wild goose chase
Bull - cop
Tight little Jane - pretty woman
Go play in traffic, you futzing sap - get out of here, you fucking idiot
Vamp - woman who seduces men
Nookie - sex
High hat - snob
Fire extinguisher - chaperone, as on a date
Bushwa - bullshit
Dont take any wooden nickels - don't do anything stupid. Used as warning in current context
Pinch - arrest
So's your old man - reply of irritation, used as an acknowledgment in this context
Nifty - great
As a side note, The Greatest Show on Earth Jane refers to is the Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey Circus, which ran until 2017.
Also, if anyone can name where I stole Siobhán from, I will give them a virtual cookie and write them a one shot oftheir choice. Hint: it's from a Canadian TV show.
Cheers!
