A/N: So sorry for delay in updates. Been busy with the move, holidays and crap. I had this chapter written down already but after re-reading it, it sucked so I deleted and started over.
I want to thank you all for the wonderful reviews and follows, favorites, etc. Your reviews are too funny!
I have to admit I wrote myself into a corner with the intro of Riley. I know how to use her in the story but I just can't put it down into words. I'm just going to do a JTam and introduce her for a chapter and pretend she never existed. I kid, I kid.
No flashback this time.
Enjoy!
The familial sounds of laughter and chatter filled the air along with aluminum forks clinking against dinnerware. Three fourths of the Rizzoli clan who hadn't a clue of what happened minutes ago in Maura's restroom were enjoying this particular Sunday night dinner except for a certain dark haired detective.
Jane was currently sat down in her chair silently stewing in her seat, throwing menacing glares every once in a while at the man currently with his arms around the back of the honey blondes chair.
After taking a few moments to gather herself in the restroom after Ian's confrontation she feels the anger boiling inside ready to pounce if Ian even looked at her. Though currently Ian was avoiding glancing in Jane's direction instead focusing on his conversation with Angela about event spaces or event steaks, who hell knew, as she could care less. She wanted to speak with Ian and Maura about what the hell Ian knew and why the hell he knew what he knew. She waited anxiously for her family to leave so they could speak about this without raising any suspicions as Jane's first gut reaction was to kick Ian right in the balls in middle of the dining room floor, but that would have certainly raise some eyebrows. So for now she sits and waits.
After what seemed like hours to Jane but in actuality was only 30 minutes later, the Rizzoli family was on their way out minus the detective. As Angela slips out the backdoor with promises to show Maura her wedding dress, Jane quickly calls out for Maura to join her in the living room as Ian was currently nowhere to be found.
Not wasting any time, Jane starts voice low and gruff "Maura. I need you to tell me the truth. What does Ian know about us?" she gestures between the two of them.
Maura opens her mouth just to shut it quickly, shock registering on her face at how Jane came about this piece of information, but she didn't question it. She takes a moment to formulate her words. She wrings her hands in front of her, biting down on her bottom lip. "Ian knows we were together" she hesitantly answers. "Romantically" she adds just in case Jane didn't understand.
At Maura's confirmation Jane clenches her jaw, she can feel her anger rising. She wants to punch something. Or someone. Preferably someone with a stupid accent who was ruining her life. Instead she settles for screaming at the only person in her line of sight.
"God Dammit Maura. I can't believe you would tell him. Him" she angrily grounds out voice getting louder.
"Jane, all he knows is that we dated for a while and we broke up, nothing else." Maura tries to placate the detective, worried that Jane thinks she betrayed her trust.
Jane heatedly paces back and forth dismissing Maura's pleadings. "But that is enough." She shouts "There was a reason why we kept our relationship a secret. And now your fiancé knows. I mean, who knows who he told. The whole precinct probably knows and is just fucking waiting to-" Maura abruptly stands up straighter cutting Jane off mid-sentence, anger building within the ME at Jane's words. "We didn't keep out relationship a secret Jane. That was entirely you." she yells jabbing a finger at the detective. "I didn't break up with you and run off to tell Ian just to-to… spite you or whatever it is you're thinking. I'm hurt that you would think that low of me. I didn't tell him anything. He discovered it himself." Maura was turning red, chest heaving rapidly, she stared down at Jane feeling anger building from Jane's hurtful words ready to lash out at the stubborn detective again.
"What's going on here?"
They both turn at the sound of a deep voice coming from the hallway.
"You" she accuses shooting a finger at the confused man.
"Whatever you heard. Whatever you think you know. Pretend you don't because if I swear to God if I hear anything regarding my sexu-my past with Maura, I know exactly whose balls to shoot off. Got it?" she threateningly shouts feeling herself getting heated by the second.
Ian looks at Maura and then to Jane, back to Maura again "Are you okay?" he asks. At Maura's nod he turns his focus back onto the detective. "I think you should leave now Jane, You have upset my fiancé for the last time tonight." Ian calmly says not at all intimidated by Jane's angry outburst.
Jane furrows her brow surprised at Ian's calm demeanor and dismissal of her threats.
"Did you fucking hear what I said? Not a word." she barks out impatiently.
"I heard you. I would never break my promise" he says evenly, a clear dig at Jane who clenches her jaw in return."If you obey my request from earlier, your secret is safe with me" he continues staring her down.
Jane scrunches her face in confusion. What the hell is he talking about? What request?
Maura stares at the two dumfounded and confused at the looks her ex and fiancé were currently having.
I need you to stay away from Maura. She doesn't want you anymore.
Realization hits her, hard and fast. The detective stands tall, jaws clenched, eyes blazing with fury, her fingers curling and uncurling by her side, all the anger raging from within ready to let loose at the man who has taken the one person she ever loved and who now had knowledge to effectively humiliate her. She wasn't about to let that happen.
She turns and takes quick livid strides towards Ian roughly grabbing him and shoving against the wall. Gripping onto his shirt, she pulls him forward only to shove him back into the wall with greater force. Either Ian was not putting up a fight or she was too far gone fueled by rage that she could shove a fairly built grown man like a ragdoll again and again. It was probably a little bit of both She can faintly hear Maura gasping no doubt scared of the turn of events but she was too blinded by anger and fury to stop and check on the honey blonde.
Only when she feels a small hand grip her shoulder and a diminutive voice calling her name does she stop. She tears her eyes away from the man in question and glances down at the hand clutching her shoulder. Eyes traveling upward she makes out the concerned face of the honey blonde.
Releasing her grip, she steps back to steady her breathing, trying to calm her self down before fully committing to Maura. She hears Maura telling Ian to leave them alone. She doesn't know when and if he did leave as her eyes never leave warm sympathetic hazel ones.
They stare at each other, neither one have yet to blink. The only sound was Jane's labored breathing slicing through the silent air.
Jane wants to turn away, but she is hypnotized by Maura's intense gaze bearing down into her as if Maura was trying get inside her soul, searching for something.
Maura for her part was looking for something and she was not going to turn away until she found it
Seconds tick by.
There it was.
She sees the twitch in Jane's face. It was very slight and if Maura didn't know Jane as well as she did then she would clearly have missed it. As soon as she catches sight of it, Maura jumps forward, grabbing onto the back of Jane's neck pulling her in for a tight hug.
Surprise at Maura's action, Jane tries to resist pulling back but Maura anticipating Jane's resistance holds on tight not letting the stubborn detective move out of her grasp.
Jane finally gives up wrapping her arm around the ME. When Maura whispers into her ear "I got you. I got you" Jane finally breaks down. All the rage and anger she felt moments ago falters immediately as she now only feels exhausted and worn down. Tears pouring out of her eyes, she grips onto Maura's back relishing in the moment of not having to be strong and finally letting it all out. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry." she repeatedly cries out. She didn't have the strength anymore to say or do anything else. She lets her tears fall without restraint not for herself, but for Maura.
For giving up on the honey blonde.
For all the heartbreak.
For all the lies and broken promises.
For losing her.
Maura shuts her eyes trying to blink back tears threatening to fall trying to be the strong for once, but she finally gives in as she allow her tears to fall not for herself, but for Jane.
For her protectiveness.
For all the heartache.
For the break up.
For blaming herself for everything that occurred between the two and despite Jane's tough and badass attitude she likes to exert, Maura knows that deep down, a large part of Jane's actions were fueled by fear.
There were no words needed as the two former lovers cradled each other. Both receiving the closure that they ignored and avoided for so long, but has now finally found them.
The sunlight filters through the blinds causing Jane to quickly shut her eyes as she arouses from her sleep. She moves her head to the right trying to avoid the bright glare when her head connects with something. She turns her head to find out what object she hit when she is literally nose to nose with a sleeping ME.
She takes a long inhale and holds it in before finally releasing it. Her heart is thumping wildly in her chest amazed that Maura didn't get awaken by it's loud pounding as it was all she could hear at the moment. She hadn't been this close to the honey blonde nevertheless slept in the same bed with her for more than a year.
She takes a painful swallow, wincing at her dry throat no doubt from all the crying she did last night. How she ended up in the guestroom with Maura she didn't have a clue.
She needed some water to clear her dry throat but she didn't want to leave the comfort of the bed just yet. So she lies there watching Maura sleep for the second time in less than a month where she hadn't done this in a year.
Maura finally stirs and when she opens her eyes she sees Jane watching her. She makes no move to get up as she lets out a yawn.
"Mornin" Jane says voice raspy and hoarse.
"Good Morning Jane"
Maura can practically hear the wheels in Jane's head spinning as they both fall silent.
"What are you thinking?" she asks.
Jane is jarred out of her thoughts at Maura's soft voice.
"I was just thinking of how much I didn't deserve you as a girlfriend. I took you for granted. And yet here you still are, still comforting me. I really fucked things up, didn't I?" she asks voice going soft towards the end.
Maura bites her lip touched by Jane's honesty but says silent sensing that Jane wasn't finished.
Jane takes a deep breath and gazes into deep warm hazel eyes misting with light tears.
"I have never once not mean it when I said that I loved you. I just-I just want you to always remember that. I know you love me too…" she pauses swallowing painfully "or at least I think so"-she recalls the night before on how Maura deflected her question "but I couldn't give you what you wanted and it was selfish of me to ask you to wait for me while I got my shit together."
She reaches for Maura's hand, softly caressing it with her thumb. "I just want you to be happy and if Ian is the one that makes you happy, I promise I won't get in the way of that anymore, barring any drunken confessions" she lets out a grin at the memory of how this all started. Maura's lips turn upwards beginning of a small smile forming. Clearing her throat she continues. "If you need anything, anything at all I'm always here for you. Goodbye Maura." She gives Maura's hand one final squeeze, leaning over to place a lingering kiss on the ME's head before pulling away.
Maura watches Jane get up and put on her boots that Maura had extricated from the weary detective the night before. Jane gives her a closed smile and stands to leave. Her heart tightens as she watches Jane round the bed and disappear being the one to walk out on them this time.
She rolls over, pulling the thin blanket tighter around her as if forming a protective shield around her body. She shuts her eyes as tears she desperately tried to hold back streams down her face. She grabs her chest, her heart aching in agonizing pain as if Jane has walked out on her life forever; which was ridiculous as she would see Jane everyday at work but nonetheless she can't help but feel a piece of her heart, the piece that Jane held onto for years teetering on the edge finally break apart.
Jane steps out into the dining room scanning for her purse and jacket. She pauses mid step as she spots Ian at the table with a coffee cup in hand. Ian looks up and they keep their eyes trained on each other as if in a stand off neither backing down.
Jane finally beaks her gaze focusing on collecting her belongings. As she walks past him, she stops but doesn't turn around. From over her shoulder she speaks in a low defeated tone "Take care of her."
She continues walking, leaving behind two broken hearts for the final time.
A/N 2: Please take note of the last sentence. Things should be looking up. Can't get any worse, right?... ;)
