Disclaimer: I don't own anything to do with Rizzoli & Isles.
A/N: This chapter is unbetaed, any mistakes are my own.
Seven
Christine was kissing her goodnight. It felt good, but only as good as it had felt for any other man to kiss her. There was no sizzle, no spark. Not like what she felt when Jane touched her wrist, hugged her, looked deep into her eyes.
She liked Christine enough, enough to stop going on dates with the other women. She was smart, sexy and sophisticated. She was comfortable with whom she was and it put Maura at ease, able to accept herself more than she had over the past few months.
But she wasn't Jane. She wasn't anything more than a pleasant person to spend an evening with.
She wasn't involved. She was doing all this thinking while Christine moved against her in the glow of the porch light.
As if she could hear Maura's thoughts, Christine pulled back. "Good night Maura."
"Good night. Thank you for a pleasant evening."
"It was my pleasure." But the smile had disappeared from her beautiful eyes. She backed off the step, "I'll call you..."
Maura wasn't so sure Christine meant it anymore. Great, I ruined my chances here too. "I look forward to it..." She trailed off when she heard shuffling footsteps coming down the path from the side of the house. She knew instantly it was Angela, just from the walk.
She turned, carefully fixing any lipstick that may have smudged, "Hello, Angela."
"I thought I heard you, and I wondered if Jane might be with you."
Maura glanced at Christine getting into her car, "No, I was out tonight. I'm sure she would be with Casey."
Angela shook her head, "She's so sad these days."
Maura cringed, "I've noticed. I'm not sure what to say..." They didn't talk anymore. Not about the important things- the things that mattered, that made them feel. She'd noticed Jane's downtrodden expression on more than one occasion, but words stuck in her throat.
Comforting Jane was bound to cause her all kinds of pain and raise issues to the surface that she didn't want to face. But then, Jane was in pain too and again it hurt Maura to see her like that. What could she say? Your boyfriend makes you sad, go dump him and be with me. No, she couldn't say anything.
"She won't tell me anything, she's only ever happy when I see her with you. There's a light in her eyes, you know?" Angela added.
"She'd my best friend." Maura stated the truth.
"I know she feels the same way about you."
And for that I am eternally grateful. But...I just wish she felt the same way I feel about her.
"Do you think that you could talk to her for me?"
This was Angela asking her, the only person after Jane, to whom she felt such loyalty to. "I...I can try. We're pretty busy with the case we're on now, but I can try."
"Please do, I hate seeing my little girl so sad. I feel so helpless." A lone tear rolled down her cheek.
Maura reached over to give Angela a quick hug, "I think she's very brave and that she will talk to you when she needs to. She always does."
"Or I trick her into talking." Angela grinned.
"Or you do that," Maura smiled in return.
"I'll let you get back to your evening," Angela glanced in the direction Christine had gone, "I wasn't interrupting anything was I?"
"No, our evening had come to its natural end already."
"Goodnight Maura."
"Goodnight Angela."
Angela shuffled back down the path, glancing over her shoulder only once. She caught Maura with the same sadness in her eyes, in her posture. The fire was missing.
Angela was startled by a knock at the door and she hurried to open it, "Maura?"
"Hi Ma," Jane's deep voice spoke from the darkness.
"Jane, what's wrong?" Jane never came to the guesthouse, Angela only ever saw her at Maura's and it concerned her, alerted her. "Is Maura not in?"
"I don't know, I didn't want to interrupt her...evening.'
"Oh, her date is long gone, you want something to eat?"
Jane glanced over at the light in Maura's living room, hesitating, "Uh...sure."
Angela noticed the longing glance, "You don't have to humour me, you can go see Maura."
"No, I want to talk to you about something."
Angela tried to grab Jane into a hug but she squirmed away, "Of course, Janie."
"Maura's sad." She blurted.
Angela couldn't have been more shocked. Jane didn't open up like this, never to her and never about Maura. "What do you mean?"
"She's different..."
"Oh you mean the girls?"
"It's more than that, she's sad about something. They don't make her happy."
"Have you talked to her?"
Jane looked positively scandalised, "No...I ... I hate feeling so helpless, she's my best friend."
"I'm sure she feels the same way about you. She doesn't have any family like you do, she's brave and she's alone. She'll talk when she's ready. "
"She won't talk to me, she hasn't talked to me."
"You can trick her into talking, you're good at that. So, just try, go now and talk to her."
"I've learned from the best." Jane managed a smile.
"Go on Jane, go talk to your girl...friend...your..."
"Ma!" Jane cut her off. "Stop talking."
"I was just –"
Jane reached in for a hug, staying wrapped in the protection of her mother's arms for just a few seconds. "Bye Ma."
"Bye Jane."
She closed the door behind her and stepped across the garden to Maura's house. The light drew her to the side door and she moved to turn the knob. She couldn't do it. It was too personal and she felt too far away from Maura to just walk into her house, back into her life.
She stomped her way to the front of the house and rang the doorbell.
A/N: I apologize for the looooooong wait on this one! You could knock me over with a feather from all the follows and reviews and favourites – I can't say how much I appreciate all the support! Thank you!
