Hello and welcome back to a new chapter of TWAH! Here I am, exactly at the promised time, right after my one week vacation. For anyone wondering, it was awesome. Anyway, also as promised, this is a 2k-long chapter. I hope you will enjoy it!
Jane spent all day trying to make some progress in The Surgeon case. Her efforts didn't amount to anything.
But, on the bright side, they had solved the bus case. Apparently, it was a woman who held a grudge against one of the student's parents. It was sick and twisted, but Jane has seen worse. She knew how to stay cool in front of this kind of situations.
She sighed contently when she finally closed her laptop, and got up from her desk, stretching her sore back muscles. She gathered her stuff, thinking about the cold beer she was gonna have when she's back home, with maybe some pizza, and a Sox game. Yeah, that seemed like heaven for her.
Then something in her head clicked. Shit. Dinner at Maura's. Shit. Shit.
She had completely forgotten. How the hell could she forget that dinner? She has been thinking about it all day. Oh, Lord. What the hell was she gonna wear?!
She cursed rapidly in Italian under her breath, then had an idea.
"Frost!" She yelled at him, so he could hear her from where he was sitting inside the Analyst's glass room. She briefly wondered why their offices were a hundred times better than theirs, then shook her head. That wasn't important right now. She needed to find something to wear in the next... She looked at her watch, her eyes widening almost comically. IN THE NEXT 30 MINUTES! She had only 30 minutes to prepare for her dinner. Shit. She can't even manage to keep her showers under 40 minutes!
His head whipped towards her, a look of alarm in his eyes. He quickly got up from his chair and bolted towards her, worried.
"WHAT? ARE YOU OKAY?" He yelled frantically, not even attracting attention. The other detectives were used to Jane and Frost's shenanigans by now.
"NO!" She almost sobbed. She lowered her voice, so the other detectives couldn't hear her. "Maura invited me to dinner tonight and I completely forgot and I don't have anything to wear!"
Frost stroked his chin thoughtfully, not even surprised that Jane forgot the dinner. His friend had the smallest gold fish memory he has ever seen.
"Okay, we have to improvise. Do you have any old dresses that look new?"
Jane raised an eyebrow at him as if saying 'do you even know me?'
"Of course, you don't have any dress. What was I expecting? It's you." He rolled his eyes. "Do you have anything at least presentable? Anything other than work clothes and red sox jerseys?"
Jane shook her head sheepishly.
"Course you don't." He sighed, looking briefly at the ceiling. "Then come on, we're going shopping."
I can't believe you are taking me shopping in the police cruiser," Jane grumbled in the front seat, while Frost was driving.
He shot her a dark look. "There is no other car available since mine is at the mechanic's and yours is with your mother. Still, can't believe you lent it to her willingly."
Jane groaned. "I didn't." She shifted uncomfortably in the seat, before sighing. "Do we really have to?"
"Do you want to have dinner at the super hot ME's house in a red sox jersey?" He glared, then spoke before she could answer. "Don't even answer that."
Jane rolled her eyes. "Why do you know more about shopping than I do?"
"Because I am a respectable person who cares about my appearance and first impressions. Besides, I've always thought women were obsessed with shopping until I met you."
Jane smiled. "You love me."
"Sadly I do. That's why I am taking you shopping."
NO! I am NOT wearing this shit!" Jane screamed for the tenth time since they went out. Twenty minutes had already passed, and they still hadn't found a dress yet.
"Jane! It's beautiful!" Frost insisted, holding the dress in front of him almost reverently. It was his favorite till now, and he was determined to convince Jane to wear it.
It was a simple, short black dress, with a lace hem. It was classy, and not too girly, an excellent match for Jane. Yet, she was refusing it, simply because, well, it was a dress, and her ego didn't allow her to wear a dress.
"Jesus Christ woman, just try the damn thing on!" Frost yelled, at last, making Jane sigh.
"Fine. But I'm not buying it." She grumbled, snatching the dress, and making her way towards the dressing room.
Frost smirked after she disappeared behind the curtain. Oh, she was so buying it.
"They hurt my feet, Frost!" Jane whined, looking at her poor feet, encrusted in black kitten heels.
"For God's Sake, Jane, those are kitten heels. They're not even real heels. Stop whining, wear the damn pair, and let me drive you to Dr. Isles' place."
Jane grumbled, putting the heels on. She stood up, feeling unsteady, but managed to walk a few steps towards her mirror to take a look at herself.
She whistled appreciatively. She almost didn't recognize herself. Since when did she have those killer hips? Damn, if she were another person, she would definitely have a crush on herself.
She looked at Frost's reflection in the mirror, standing behind her, grinning at her proudly.
"You're ready, my child."
"Shut up, Frost."
Jane walked towards Dr. Isles' front door, a nervous smile on her face, which made her lips seem lopsided and weird.
Frost gave her thumbs up from where he was sitting in the cruiser, then drove away.
"Damn it frost." She muttered under her breath and decided to take her time, to calm down.
She took a deep breath, studying her surroundings. Maura's house could put Jane's entire apartment building to shame. It was big, elegant, charming, and so, so Maura.
Jane's smile turned into a more endeared one when she was a small dog sleeping on the lawn in front of the house. It was a puppy golden retriever, and Jane felt the need to steal it and run away with it. She never particularly liked dogs, but this one was just adorable.
The dog's ears perked up, and it sprang to his paws, looking at her, alarmed. It started barking, its tiny voice way too cute for anyone to be afraid.
Jane awed but jumped back in surprise when the front door opened to reveal Charles, Maura's older brother.
"Adrien, are you- Oh, hi Detective Rizzoli."
Jane managed an awkward wave and a chuckle.
"Please, come in." He raised an intrigued eyebrow at her.
Jane cursed at herself again. A wave? A fucking wave?! What the fuck Rizzoli?
"Maura!" Charles raised his voice slightly while calling his sister. "You have a visitor."
"Coming!" The ME screamed back.
"I'll leave you ladies alone. My shift at the hospital is starting soon." He winked at Jane, which made her turn a deep shade of red.
'Damn, he's handsome, but not as much as- oh my dear god.'
She gulped, feeling her throat tighten when she saw Maura descending the stairs.
She didn't even notice Charles ushering the dog inside before leaving, nor the hastily thrown stare her way.
The ME was wearing a white dress, with a pattern of black roses all over it, linked to each other by the stems. It was sophisticated, and suddenly, Jane felt way too underdressed.
She felt her heart jump in her chest when the ME smiled at her, and she managed a weak smile back.
Maura hurried down the stairs, a large smile on her face.
"Jane! You made it! You look absolutely stunning." She stood in front of her, and Jane realized that she was about to hug her, but was hesitating because it's Maura.
Jane took the first step and hugged her, whispering a thank you in her ear, making Maura giggle.
"What?" Jane asked, confused.
"I'm ticklish," Maura answered sheepishly, before inviting her to sit.
'Noted.' Jane thought, smirking to herself. Thankfully, Maura did not seem to notice.
She poured them both some expensive wine, and Jane had to swallow back the urge to ask for a beer. She didn't want to seem rude.
They talked for a while about the precinct, and how Maura was integrating.
They also talked a bit about the Rizzoli family, how Angela and Jane's father had divorced when she was a teenager, and since then, the family of now four was much happier.
Maura seemed excited about the prospect of meeting the fourth Rizzoli someday, which endeared Jane to the point that she invited her to the next Sunday dinner at her Ma's place. She was certain her Ma wouldn't mind, but it's just been so long since anyone other than the Rizzolis, Korsak, and Frost joined them.
The whole evening was wonderful, better than Jane had ever imagined in the multiple scenarios she had been running in her head all day.
Maura was a sensible, sophisticated human being. The adorable puppy was a he, and his name was Adrien. Maura adopted him from the shelter when she moved to Boston, which Jane found admirable.
She hated, and feared to admit it, but she was beginning to form a crush on the sweet ME. Now, Jane Rizzoli had a policy. Never fall for a straight girl. Never. Look at her now, practically drooling as she looked at Maura's dancing form, while she worked on preparing the dinner at the rhythm of a Celine Dion song. Not only was she hot, had amazing taste, and was a genius, but she was also a Celine Dion listener. To Jane, she was perfect.
Then she realized that Maura was talking to her, and she didn't hear a word. "Excuse me, what?"
Maura laughed. "I was simply asking if you ever had Ratatouille."
"Well, I watched the movie, if that counts." Jane joked, proud of herself when Maura laughed harder.
"Oh, Jane. No, of course, it doesn't. Come on. The appetizers, soup, salad, and first dish are already on the table."
She ushered her towards the chair on the right of her own, at the head of the table.
"You had time to do all of that right now?" Jane gasped, impressed.
Maura merely smiled. "French cuisine is simpler than it seems."
"So... If the Ratatouille is the first dish... What's the second?" Jane asked after a while of them eating in a comfortable silence.
Maura shook her head. "It's not called a second dish; it's called the main course. Usually, Ratatouille is served as that. But I wanted to make you taste something else I particularly like. Coq au Vin. It's chicken marinated in red wine."
When Jane failed to hide her disgusted expression, Maura smiled. "I noticed that you don't like wine. Don't worry, it's really good, and tastes only faintly of it. Oh, and if you wanted beer, you could have just asked."
She got up, and got a beer can, opening it for Jane.
The detective took it gratefully, chugging down a big gulp. "Oh thank god. I didn't want to seem rude, you know, rejecting that expensive wine."
"Expensive?" Maura laughed. "It's only a 2010 Conterno Fantino Barolo Sori Ginestra."
"Meaning?"
"Only a 100$ the bottle!" Maura answered excitedly, and Jane decided not to comment on Maura's notion of 'cheap'.
Cheap, for Jane, is a six-pack for 10$, at most. Not a hundred bucks worth of wine.
They continued talking about everything and nothing, Jane noting how Maura only rarely talked about herself.
Jane decided to fix that.
"What about you? How's your family like?"
Maura smiled, but it was dim compared to her other smiles. "I was abandoned by my parents at the age of three. I still have faint memories of them telling me that they will be back for me, then leaving me in the orphanage. The Hoyt Family found me. They are really wealthy and well known in France."
"I imagined." Jane smiled, encouraging her to continue.
"They adopted me. They had another child, a boy, older than me. Charlie. You already met him." Maura's smile widened slightly at the mention of her brother. "Then my mother died. My father couldn't... stand... us anymore." She seemed like had trouble finding the words for the next part without making her father look like the bad guy.
"He said we reminded him too much of her. I was ten, Charlie was fourteen. He sent us to live with our aunt Charlotte in another region of France. He set up a trust fund for us, bought a yacht, and went sailing around the world. I've never seen him since. I wonder how he is doing." She continued pensively more to herself, not looking very sad about that remark.
"I'm sorry..." Jane shifted uncomfortably in her seat but then relaxed when Maura smiled at her.
"It's okay. I learned to let go."
"I'm glad." Jane smiled, then frowned when her phone rang suddenly. She looked at the screen and saw Frost's ID lighting it up.
"Excuse me, I have to take this."
Maura nodded, getting up to check on the coq au vin still in the oven.
Jane stepped into the living room, hurriedly answering the call.
"WHAT?!" She whispered/screamed angrily.
"Whoa, chill. Just wanted to see how things were going." Frost's calm voice piped up, clearly stifling a laugh.
"Fine, until you interrupted. She was just starting to open up, Frost. I had so many opportunities to gather information about her, but you probably ruined that! Thanks so much."
"You said the same thing about Christina. Remember her?"
"Look, this bitch is different. She's so stuck up, that rich brat thinks she can own everything just because-"
That's when she heard it. A tiny, barely audible sniffle.
She turned around, her eyes widening gradually, as she took in the sight in front of her.
Maura had heard Jane's side of the conversation, and she was crying.
Ooooh, shit is getting real. I hope this chapter met your expectations! Next chapter will be released next week, around the same time! If you want to see something in particular happen, review, and I'll take your idea into account :)
Again, thanks for the huge, huge feedback this story has been getting! Already 100 follows? Wow, guys, thank you! See you next week!
