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Chapter Four

Laughing as they came down the stairs together, Maura was stunned when she crashed into Jane's back on the bottom step. She couldn't see past her taller friend but could tell in the tension of her set shoulders that something was wrong. "Well, hey there Sal DeLuca. Wow, it's been a REALLY long time." Ah, so that's it. Before anyone could respond, Maura made her way around Jane and placed herself between her friend and the would-be suitor. "Hello, I'm Dr. Maura Isles. Jane has…told me about you Mr. DeLuca." Way to avoid the lie Maur. Taking in his greasy hair and the horrible stench of cheap whiskey and stale cigarettes on his breath, she couldn't believe that Angela could possibly think Jane would have anything in common with this…parasite based on the way he had already latched on to her hand. Smiling a sweet smile that only Jane would recognize as a grimace on the spectrum of Maura smiles, she turned back to her friend. "Jane, dear, would you mind getting me a glass of wine while Mr. DeLuca and I get acquainted?" Jane just gaped at Maura for a split second before giving her friend a sly smile of her own, eyes dancing. "Sure thing, DEAR." Maura turned her attention back to the sleaze ball that had taken possession of her hand, absentmindedly wondering if hand sanitizer would be enough. Walking into the kitchen, Jane heard the conversation continue. "Has anyone ever told you that you have unusually rough skin on the back of your hand?" Oh my god! It was so great to have a genius as your wing man!

Walking into the kitchen with a huge smile she found her mother bustling about, raising lids, adding spices and stirring. "Oh, Jane! Finally! I need you to cut up some lemons and limes for drinks. Where's Maura?" Looking around the kitchen, Angela wasn't used to seeing Jane's friend far from her side. "Oh, I don't know Ma. She's mingling. It IS a party you know." Jane smirked a knowing smirk but with the lingering feeling of warmth from their hidden conspiracy, she kissed her Ma on the cheek. With guests to entertain, Angela took a moment to glare at her daughter suspiciously but decided to let it go. "Get those lemons and limes cut up for me honey. I gotta go out and make sure Lazio is behaving himself. After what happened last year with Karla, I got some people keeping an eye on him."

Watching her mother leave the room, Jane waited a beat before opening the cabinet that held several boxes of cereal. Moving the Coco Puffs and several unopened Bran boxes aside, she grabbed a bottle of the Silver Oak Napa Cabernet that she knew Maura loved and made quick work of the cork. Pouring the dark, ruby liquid into two Riedel glasses (thanks to Maura), she took one and swirled the wine, inhaling the rich aroma before taking a sip. Damn that's good. Looking over the rim of the glass, she was shocked to see Maura stroll into the kitchen sans Sal with a smirk the size of Texas on her face.

Her smile automatically matched her friend's as if her face had a mind of its own. "So, Dr. Isles what happened to 'Mr. DeLuca'?" Handing a glass of the Cab to the doctor who had sauntered over and parked herself against the counter, hip to hip, she waited. Taking a moment to inhale the wine and enjoy the expectation, Maura carefully swirled her glass and took a drink. Looking over and finding Jane's warm brown eyes, she continued. "It seems your Mr. DeLuca was suffering from an acute case of xerosis. When I mentioned this to him, he seemed distraught enough to ask that other questionable gentleman that had accompanied him to the party to take him to an after hours clinic." Finishing her explanation, Maura took another long draw on the amazing Cab, enjoying the velvety smooth finish. Finding Jane peering at her with confusion, she knew she would have to put things into laymen's terms. She couldn't help but smile. "Severe dry skin." Jane's explosion of laughter was contagious and soon they were both doubled over and breathless.

Jane's mother re-entering the kitchen brought a quick halt to the laughter as they both straightened up and tried to look presentable and innocent. Again, Angela eyed both women with suspicion, knowing with a mother's instinct that they were up to something. Fighting her natural tendency to need to know everything going on between the people around her, particularly her daughter who seemed to find trouble at the drop of a hat, the older woman huffed out a sigh and threw her hands up in defeat. "I'm not even going to ask. Let's just get the dinner on the table. Can you help me with that Janie or do I need the secret password for your club?"

Before she could answer, Jane found a huge pan of lasagna thrust toward her, pot holders and all. "Take that and put it on the front dining room table. Hurry up and don't burn yourself." Grabbing three bottles of wine off the counter, Angela turned again. "Maura, sweetie, do you mind? Just follow Janie." Delighted to help, Maura took the bottles and walked out of the kitchen and down the long narrow hall that led to the front dining room. She was almost knocked backwards when she collided with a man who seemed to step out from no where. Regaining her equilibrium, she smiled. "I'm so sorry. Please excuse me." Trying to move around, she found her passage was blocked. Looking up, she took in the details of the man in front of her. He was roughly her own height, had a terribly unnatural looking toupee pulled too low on his forehead, was wearing an extremely unflattering, powder blue, polyester blend suit that was too short in both the inseam and the sleeves, and had far too many gold rings and chain accessories to be considered acceptable. Finding his eyes, which were in the process of raking over her body from head to toe, Maura became extremely uncomfortable, especially when he leaned forward into her personal space to speak. "Well, hello there, gorgeous lady. I don't believe we've met," leaning further still.

"Hey! NO! No." Jane somehow managed to place herself between the man and Maura. "You know what? No. Don't even think of touching her Uncle Lazio." She felt Maura's sharp intake of breath but kept her eyes trained on the man in front of her who actually was attempting to look over her shoulder. Really? "Hey! Even better," Clapping a strong hand on his shoulder and stepping to the side, hiding Maura completely, "Don't even look at her. Again. Tonight. Ever." Leaning forward in full cop mode, she glared at the shorter man. "I would suggest you go join your WIFE, my FAVORITE aunt, at the table. NOW." When he completely disappeared from sight, she turned to find Maura looking at her wide-eyed, a grin on her face. Smiling herself, she shook her head. "That was a close call. I'm sorry that happened but I warned you." Taking the three bottles, "I'll go put these on the table." Quirking an eyebrow, she added with a laugh, "Do you think you can possibly make it back to the kitchen without breaking any more hearts?" Smoothing her hands over her skirt, sparkling hazel green eyes met dark chocolate brown. "I don't know, Jane. I think it's the dress."

Hours later, Maura found herself standing in a corner of the Rizolli home thinking over the evening. After she and Jane had helped serve the enormous dinner to tables scattered throughout the house minus the front dining room, they had taken their seats at the "kids" table which was far from anything a child should ever be exposed to; the language alone was reason enough, even though Jane tried her best to tamper it down. It consisted of herself, Jane, Frankie, and numerous cousins she wasn't sure she could name in order because the family resemblance was astounding. They fought and joked and touched and punched and broke every single rule of table etiquette that Maura knew, including but not limited to throwing food. It was clear how much they loved each other even through the bickering and insults and rapid fire conversation. They included Maura every chance they got, calling her an honorary Rizzoli. She even managed to throw a small piece of bread at Frankie when he teased her about her 'turtle.' Truthfully, she was a little overwhelmed with it all; the feeling of belonging to such a large and loving family was so foreign and at the same time, so appealing to her. Now, returning from the bathroom, she just watched with a satisfied smile on her face, wine glass in hand. Scanning the crowd, she found Jane naturally, talking quietly with Frankie, their heads close together. As if she knew Maura was watching, Jane turned and smiled. One last word and nod to Frankie and she was making her way across the room. "Hey, are you having fun?" Jane asked as she took Maura's arm and directed her toward the back of the room, near the door.

A little confused by Jane's actions, Maura recovered quickly, "I'm having a great time Jane. It really has been fun. Your family…" Jane rolled her eyes at this and tried to fill in the blanks. "Yes, I know. My family is crazy." Surprised but not surprised by the soft, affectionate look on Maura's face, she decided to let Maura talk and continue on with her plan from there. "No Jane, I wasn't going to say crazy. Your family is so…" she furrowed her brow searching for the right word. "Your family is so warm and loving. It's been a wonderful evening. Thank you for inviting me."

"Maur, you know you are welcome here any time. You do know that right? You ARE family. Hell, my mom likes you better than she likes me. She doesn't even try to hide it any more. It's really insulting actually." Smirking at her friend's chuckle, Jane continued, "Are you up for another Rizzoli tradition, or well, at least one of this Rizzoli's traditions?" Eyes alight, Maura nodded with enthusiasm. Grabbing her coat off the rack, Jane wrapped it around her friend's shoulders. "Good, put this on. Um, you won't be able to wear those," she pointed down at Maura's ridiculously high, yet beautiful, black, strappy heels. "You will have to wear a pair of my snow boots. We are going on a short walk." Seeing the look of horror flicker across the doctor's face, Jane groaned. "I promise not to tell anyone that the immaculate Dr. Isles didn't match perfectly." Wrinkling her nose and peering at Jane, Maura took a moment to consider the offer. "Well, since you've promised."

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