I'm so sorry for the long wait, but I have had the worst case of writer's block. You've got guest00 to thank for getting me out of this funk, thanks my long word using buddy! Hopefully its alright, even if it's a little shorter than the last one. Now I've got a direction for the next chapter at least, I'll be able to get an update to you guys a bit quicker. Sorry once again!
Happy reading!
The new month bought snow, a lot of it. As the snow had risen, so too had the friendship between the new doctor and the detective. Many cases ended the same way as Maura's first, the two women stopping off for drinks at the Dirty Robber, followed by Jane's offer to drive Maura home. Which inevitably led to her invitation in, and a long evening spent in with the blonde and an extra Isles. Sometimes they skipped the drinks all together.
Jane and Maura had developed a bond, that neither one could explain. It was as if they could sense one another, what they were feeling, what they were thinking. They each had their own running conclusion on why they were friends, but neither chose to admit it to each other, or themselves.
This bond was the reason why an ever growingly annoyed Jane Rizzoli was sat at a table in the precinct cafe, with a cup of coffee and a green tea. Four weeks ago the detective would have laughed at anyone ordering that muck, yet here she was. Her palms ached whenever someone opened the door, the icy wind from outside being blown in. Every time she would look up, see it wasn't Maura, and frown. By the twentieth person, she was no longer frowning, but scowling.
"You know, if the wind changes, you'll get stuck like that."
Jane jumped as she felt a hand grasp her shoulder. Whipping around she was met by a familiar set of eyes. "Jeez Ma! Were you trying to give me a heart attack?"
"I was just saying. If a man walks in here and catches a glimpse of you glowering like that, he's gonna run straight out the door again."
The detective groaned, putting her face in her hands for a moment before turning round to look at her mother again, "First of all Ma, I am not here to meet my soulmate," Maybe that's what the connection is soulmates. Can friends be soulmates? Do soulmates even exist? I bet Maura would know. Noticing that Angela was still looking at her waiting for her to continue, Jane cleared her throat, "I am here to work. And secondly don't you have customers to annoy, I'm just here to meet Maura."
Ignoring her daughter's latter comment, Angela took the seat next to Jane. "It's so nice that you and Dr Isles are friends. She's so elegant and sophisticated." She accentuated each syllable with a movement of her head side to side, much like one you would expect to see in an R&B video.
Jane glanced around, hoping that no one else had noticed her mother's over the top gestures, "Stop!" she hissed.
"What Janey? Am I embarrassing you?" deliberately, to further her daughter's humiliation, she reached across to squeeze Jane's cheek. Realising that the younger woman was conscious of someone watching she had a sudden idea, "Oh! Are you dating a guy in here?"
Brushing the hand from her cheek, Jane rolled her eyes, "No. Do you seriously think I'd date any of these knuckle-heads? I'm single, remember?"
"Well I would know that if you came to family dinners more than once a month!"
Not this again. "Work's busy; they can't afford to give us every Sunday off. Murders don't care about our dinner plans!" Whilst this was partly true, the real reason Jane hated these dinners was the question after question from her family members. Who are you seeing, Jane? What about that FBI guy you met last week, Jane? Why aren't you dating anyone, Jane? She hated it. Tommy had his new, blonde plaything that hadn't left his side for the last month. Frankie had bought home two serious girlfriends in the last six months. Even her Ma had Cavanaugh, when he could escape the station. Jane was the odd one out; the last guy she'd bought home had been Casey. Look how that worked out, him in Afghanistan and me here, alone. Again.
As if sensing her thoughts, Angela piped up, "Maybe you could bring someone this time?" watching Jane frown and flick her eyes back to the door, she changed her tact, "It doesn't have to be a boy, it could be a friend. The more the merrier I always say."
"Yeah mayb..."
"Rizzoli!" it was the abhorrent cafe owner, and also Angela's boss screeching at them from the door of the kitchen.
"Coming Mr Stanley." Angela stood and then bent to place a kiss on Jane's forehead, "I'm making chicken cacciatore, come."
"Okay Ma." Jane watched her mother walk back to the counter, but this time when she turned back to her coffee, she finally saw the person she'd been waiting for.
As Maura ambled over, Jane noticed things in her that she'd never seen before. The pale pink of her cheeks from the cold. How short she was in boots compared to her regular high heels. The flakes of snow in her hair, that Jane could see melting when the doctor finally reached her table. Now Jane could understand why people found beauty in winter.
Taking the seat opposite Jane, Maura instantly wrapped her hands around her mug in an effort to warm her freezing hands. "I'm so sorry I'm late, a certain small madam did not want to go to nursery today. What did your mother want?"
"It's okay Maur, it's only a few minutes. You saw that? It was nothing really." when she dismissively waved her hand, she saw Maura's eyes lower to her tea, hurt. Feeling instantly guilty Jane did the only thing she could think of, "Hey, are you busy this weekend?"
Sunday came around far too quickly for Jane's liking. The drive to her mother's had been even faster. As she pulled into the driveway, she looked across at Maura, who looked eerily calm. Her excuse for driving them had been the snow, but really she'd wanted some time alone with Maura before her hurricane of a family moved in on her, never to be seen again.
"You sure you're ready for this?" her eyes flicked to the child in the backseat, who she could hear softly singing to herself.
"Yes Jane. I think a month is enough time for people to draw their own conclusions about me." As if something massive had just dawned on her, her eyes widened, "You don't think your mother will approve being unmarried?"
"No, no, no, I didn't mean it to sound that way. I was just saying, that it's okay... to y'know... not be okay." She looked down at her hands, still on the wheel, embarrassed. With the engine now turned off, the heat was too, and that dull ache had returned to Jane's palms. She tried to shake it by clenching and unclenching them into fists.
"I know." The next part came out of Maura quieter than a whisper, so much so that Jane almost missed it, "Thank you for inviting us." Jane heard that pain again, that pain that can only be caused by one thing. Love. Before she could question it, Maura noticed the detective's pained hand movements, "Are they hurting?"
Jane avoided her gaze, becoming particularly interested in a stain on her sleeve, "A little."
Maura held out both her hand towards Jane, reluctantly the detective moved hers from the steering wheel, placing them into Maura's.
"Scar tissue has worse circulation than anywhere else." The doctor placed her thumbs on each of Jane's palms, her fingers resting on the back of Jane's hand. "In colder weather, the body's circulation is even poorer. In an effort to stay alive, it redirects blood flow to the major organs." Slowly, she began to rub her thumbs in small circles, "Massaging them like this encourages blood flow, it helps stop the pain.
Jane couldn't work out if it was Maura's voice calming her or the ministrations she was making, she didn't want either to stop. They were so close to one another, that Jane could feel Maura's flyaway hair tickling her chin. She so badly wanted to kiss her. In years to come, this would be the exact moment she would pinpoint as to when she knew she wanted to love Maura Isles. But for now all that she wanted to say in that kiss was thank you. Thank you for everything. For not prying. For not judging me. For being you.
She almost did it, until she was reminded that they weren't alone, "Your cuts hurt Jane?"
"Yeah Hol, a bit." She looked in the review mirror to find two hazel eyes staring intently back at her.
"You make Jane better Mommy." There was no question in Holly's voice, it was a simple statement. More like an order.
"Yes sweetheart, I'll make her better." Maura continued rubbing Jane's scars a while before she finally let them drop in the detective's lap. "There we go."
"No Momma, you haf to kiss 'em."
Maura's eyes moved from Holly, into Jane's brown orbs. With a slight nod of her head, Jane gave her permission and Maura once again reached for her hands, this time turning them forehand up, moving them towards her lips. She places a quiet, gentle kiss to one, slowly moving her lips to the other, never breaking eye contact with the other woman.
"There." She says softly, "All better."
It wasn't the kiss that Jane had imagined earlier, but it still felt better than what she'd thought any kiss could be. If I ever get to kiss her properly, I might just die.
Holly happily clapped in her car seat, "Mommy has magic doctor kisses."
Jane turned to grin at her, "She sure does kiddo, you ready?"
"Yep!"
"Okay, Let's go."
The detective helped Holly to climb out of the car, and Maura walked around to join them, firmly grasping her daughter's hand. The trio made their way slowly up the path toward the door, the ice proving a challenge, even for the adults. At the door both women paused before hitting the bell.
"You ready Maur?"
"As long as you are."
Jane looked across and smiled at Maura, "Time for the big reveal." She reached out her hand and pressed the button.
