I hadn't planned for this chapter but was inspired to write it after a request/prompt - so thank you, TheTruthIsInsideOfYou, for giving me the idea! I hope you will like it.
I had some trouble finish the chapter though, and I am still not certain if I'm pleased with the end result but I figured it was about time I updated. I hope it turned out ok.
Oh, and thanks as always for all the wonderful reviews! I hope you keep them coming ;)
There was something special about that day. That first day living together.
There really was no doubt about it, in either of their minds. They might go about their day in a somewhat normal way - even though the bright smiles reaching their lips whenever their eyes met were without doubt increased - but still there was definitely something special about the whole day and the way they interacted.
It was almost as if they were walking around in their own little bubble. A pleasant and problem free bubble, where there were no cases, no autopsies, and no bugging families. No concerns or restrictions of how close they could be; no cares about their surroundings. It was just the two of them. Enjoying those first moments of their new life.
Not even when they – despite their previous reluctance to it – had decided to go outside and take Jo Friday for a walk in Boston Common did they really take much notice to the world around them.
It wasn't until Maura sat down on the park bench to wait for her friend while she dropped in at a nearby café to buy a coffee - that much to Maura's amazement Jane insisted she absolutely had to have - that Maura was left to take in some of her surroundings.
She glanced out over the park in front of her, simultaneously keeping a watching eye on Jo Friday who was sniffing around the area. The sun was almost about to set over the distant roof tops, casting a beautiful light at the colourful autumn foliage. People were walking along the many paths; some children were playing in a nearby pile of leaves.
Normally she would have felt the definite symptoms of anxiety by the many people around her. Usually she would have been busy inspecting everything, scientifically studying the world around her. Because that was usually what happened when she was left sitting idly like this. She would be uneasy by the many people and impatient of not doing anything, and she would find comfort in scrutinizing her surroundings, picking it apart and examining each and every segment of it.
Maybe she would reflect about the exceptionally cold autumn that the low temperature of the day indicated and would wonder about its reasons; speculating how much of it was caused by humans' harmful affects on the environment and how much was due to other, more natural, circumstances.
Then she would perhaps fascinate over the physiology of the deciduous trees, unable not to find the specific morphology and colour pattern of the shedding leaves somewhat similar to the corpses on her autopsy table; the leaves and bodies alike all having their own unique history to tell.
Even the people around her would she watch extensively; study them like experiments in her laboratory; testing her own wide knowledge in facial expression and body language – all the while knowing she would never really know whether her estimations of their hidden emotions and thoughts were correct.
That was probably what she would have done on any other day, but now she didn't.
Now she instead just felt a wonderful serenity inside of her and was just idly letting her eyes glance out over the sight in front of her.
Usually she would probably also feel a sensation that she would define as gloominess coming over her over the fact that it was autumn, because somehow it was when the autumn came that she always found herself feeling the most alone. When the cheerfulness of the summer would turn into winter and Christmas times. Family times. When people would start to hide away from the cold outside to gather together with their families and loved ones. When Maura would only hide away from the cold with a cup of tea inside of her big empty house, and maybe catch up on work or some of her readings.
But now neither of those things really got to her.
Now she was only struck by how beautiful it was. How everything today seemed beautiful.
She smiled vaguely for herself, and didn't really notice when her friend walked up behind her. When she however felt an affectionate hand on her shoulder she turned around and seeing her friend, she smiled again.
"Sorry it took so long," Jane said and guided herself around the bench. "This guy couldn't decide whether to have a cappuccino or latte, and then, just as he decided to go with tea, he started bitching about how his wife wanted him to use soy creamers instead of milk which caused a new round of shilly-shallying." She shook her head, clearly annoyed. "I mean, jeez, how hard is it? A double coffee with extra sugar and you're done."
She sank down on the park bench next to her friend. When she looked at her she was met by a sparkling pair of hazel eyes, a bright smile, and even though Jane found the sight unexpectedly pleasant, she couldn't deny that her friend also looked cold – and immediately she felt bad for letting her wait for so long. "Are you ok? You look cold."
Maura smiled yet again, and although realizing she was indeed starting to get a bit chilly, she felt infinitely warmer now that her friend had returned to sit next to her. "Yes I'm fine," she replied and scooted closer, decreasing the already inexistent gap between them.
Jane, however, was not entirely satisfied by that reply and resolutely she put down her coffee on the bench next to her and pulled out a knitted hat from her jacket pocket. Before Maura could protest, she pulled it onto the honey blonde's head. "There," she said, a toothy grin appearing in her face. "That's better."
Instinctively Maura figured she should reproach her friend, but failed. Instead she felt surprisingly overwhelmed by her friend's simple, but caring, action, and didn't say anything. Just smiled, as Jane rearranged some strayed locks of hair from her face.
And as she did, Jane couldn't help but be amazed by the sight of her always stylish friend in her grandmother's knitted old hat. Somehow she looked goofy and beautiful all at the same time, her sparkling big eyes looking up at her under the brim of the moss-green woolly hat. The slightly red cheeks and nose, cold from the surprisingly brisk air, her warm and adorable smile, only added to that image.
"You look cute," Jane said, catching her friend's eyes with hers. She offered a bright, yet tender, smile and brushed away an already arranged string of hair from her face, before then finally letting her hand drop.
Maura's smile widened and it was with slight reluctance Jane had to break their eye contact. Instead she picked up her coffee and looked out at the view, slightly absent-mindedly taking a sip.
Several moments past until she voiced an approval for her anticipated hot drink. "Damn this is good," she said, taking another sip.
Maura laughed at her friend's apparent satisfaction before she sat back against the backrest.
"You really should evaluate your caffeine intake, Jane," she then said and looked at the very large cup of coffee in her friend's hand. "It is alarming of the self-inflicting damage you're causing your body by consuming such high amount of caffeine."
Jane turned back to look at her. "Hey, you're the one who told me about that study of how caffeine being good against heart attacks, or whatever."
"Not heart attack, Jane. Stroke," Maura corrected her friend. "And that was if you had two to three cups of coffee a day. Not the amount you consider as your daily dosage. And considering the fact that we have already had coffee twice today already, those additional 180 milligrams of caffeine that approximately contains in the coffee in that very large cup really do your body no good."
"Yeah, well-," Jane shrugged and took another sip. "It's good."
Maura just shook her head, before they both turned silent and instead just looked out at the beautiful scenery in front of them.
"I know you've been all around the world and probably seen the most beautiful places and all of the world wonders-," Jane then broke the silence many moments later, "-but I mean, look at this." She let her hands motion over their view of the park. "Boston in the autumn must come pretty high up on that list."
Maura smiled. "Well, the perennial fall foliage of New England is well known to be exceptionally beautiful and even though I would find it impossible to rank places or sceneries in order of preference based on their natural beauty as it would be both very subjective and fluctuating, at the moment I feel myself inclined to agree."
Jane just looked at her friend. She had stopped listening somewhere along 'fall foliage'. "Huh?"
Maura smiled again, realizing she had lost track of herself. Absent-mindedly she took the coffee cup from her friend's hand. "It is rather beautiful," she then simplified her statement and took a sip of the hot drink.
Jane rolled her eyes, not even bothering to reply, before she again looked out over her beloved hometown. But then, some moments later, she suddenly realized she was sans her coffee.
"Maura-," she complained and looked down at her friend's hands when realizing where her coffee had disappeared to.
Maura looked down at the coffee in her hands, not quite aware that she'd even taken the cup. "Oh-"
Jane looked at her with a part annoyed, and part amused look. "You always do this."
"I-," Maura started to retort, but realized that she really couldn't, she stopped and gave her friend a sheepish look. "Yes."
"Why don't you just tell me you want one when I buy some for me?" Jane replied with feigned irritation.
"Because I don't want to expose my body to the various unhealthy compounds existing in coffee more than necessary."
Jane gave her an incredulous look. "And by drinking mine you don't?"
Maura frowned, obviously unable to find a winning argument to that, and for a moment she debated with herself whether to hand back the coffee to her friend. But then she instead just brought the cup to her lips, taking another sip. "But it's good," she repeated her friend's previous words, smiling pleasantly at her, before letting her both hands encircling the warm paper cup. "And warm."
Slightly surprised to hear her friend was still cold, Jane forgot about the discussion about the coffee. "Hey-," she protested and gesticulated towards the hat on her friend's head. "I gave you my grandma's woolly hat. No one can be cold in that hat."
Maura smiled and absent-mindedly fingered on the woolly fabric on her head, feeling oddly happy to hear that information about the hat her friend lent her. "Your grandmother did this?" she then asked in amazement and looked at her friend. "Whom I met at Angela's birthday party?"
"Nonna?" Jane exclaimed in shock. "Hell no. She wouldn't know a sticking needle from a screwdriver. The only housework she can do is cook."
"No, grandma is dad's mom," she then explained. "She's crazy about these handicrafts stuff and gives all of her grandkids a new set of a knitted something every Christmas. They might not be the best the world have seen - sweaters with arms with different lengths, ill-matching socks and everything with colour combinations that make them look as if a leprechaun have thrown up on them - but they're always nice and warm." She shrugged and took the coffee from her friend, took a sip, only to hand it back to her the next moment. "I like them. 'Cuz you know- they're grandma's."
Maura smiled, enjoying listening to her friend talking about her family as she always did.
Jane turned to look at her, surprised her friend wasn't yet aware of all of her family members and their crazy habits. "You haven't met her yet?"
Maura shook her head, unable to recollect that she had. "I don't think I have."
"You'd like her. She's hilarious," Jane then said, a slight smile escaping her at the thought of her somewhat eccentric grandmother, before she again shrugged. "We'll have her over on a family get-together someday."
Maura smiled. "I'd like that."
"Maybe she'll even force one of her ugly, ill-formed sweater on you this Christmas," Jane then continued with a smirk. But when seeing the surprisingly expectant smile on her friend's face she instantly grew sober. "Hey, don't look so hopeful. There's a reason why that hat is the only thing of hers I can wear in public."
Maura laughed. "I'm sure your grandmother's sweaters are lovely," she then said with a pleasant smile. "And if I would be lucky enough to receive such a gift I would certainly love to wear it."
Jane chuckled loudly. "Maura- You're used to fancy designer clothes that you spend more than my monthly salary on. You wouldn't wanna be seen dead in one of grandma's knitted sweater."
Maura just shrugged lightly, not so sure her friend was right. "Maybe I would."
It was true that she was used to expensive haute couture and fastidious with everything she wore, but still she couldn't help but thinking that a homemade knitted sweater would be the most treasured piece of clothing she could ever own. Just like the hat on her head now was the warmest thing she'd ever worn.
Instinctively she pulled the hat further down onto her head, smiling for herself.
Somehow sensing Maura's train of thought, Jane smiled as well. She knew her friend had missed out on many of the family-stuff throughout her life; Jane was happy to share some of her own with her. She gave her friend a slight squeeze with her arm – but then suddenly she flew up from the bench, surprising them both.
"Jo Friday!" she yelled out sternly and rushed after her dog who seemed dangerously close to a puddle of mud.
Maura laughed, letting her eyes linger on her friend collecting the furry little animal. But then she jerked, when a voice somewhere in the distant said her name.
"Dr Isles?"
Still feeling slightly bewildered to hear a voice that wasn't hers or Jane's, Maura turned to find the owner of the voice. She smiled when she saw Mrs Rochester, one of her neighbours.
Maura couldn't say she knew many of the people living around her – that she knew all of them by their name, age, profession and some of their more explicit medical conditions was to Maura simply to be expected (except from maybe their medical conditions that instead was inevitable) – but that was about as far as her acquaintance with them went. Mrs Rochester, however, was the one she did consider knowing to a slight more extent and the one she occasionally talked to. Basically she was the only one who didn't seemed put off by Maura's quirky or weird behaviour or appalled by her profession.
"Mrs Rochester," she said politely. "How are you?"
"Oh I'm fine," the older woman replied pleasantly. "Beautiful day, isn't it?" she then continued cheerfully, glancing out over the park. "Perfect for a Sunday stroll in the park."
"It really is," Maura replied with similar pleasantness.
"Although it is unusual cold isn't it?"
"Well-," Maura tilted her head. "I am not entirely certain what the average temperature is for today's date but as the average recorded low temperature on November First is 43 degrees Fahrenheit, and 34 on the last day of November, it could indeed be estimated that it today is colder than usual. The coldest recorded temperature in November for Boston, however, is only 8 degrees Fahrenheit, measured on November 27, 1932."
Mrs Rochester smiled somewhat forced, seemingly not really knowing what to reply to that - causing Maura to frown uncertainly as she inwardly reproached herself for not realizing that her neighbour's question hadn't been raised to be answered so specifically.
They were both a bit relieved when Jane came back.
Not missing a beat, Mrs Rochester turned to the detective.
"Hello Detective Rizzoli," she said as Jane sat down next to her friend. "How nice to see you again."
"Yeah you too," Jane replied slightly distracted, busy trying to calm down the squirmy little dog in her lap that did not at all seem happy to have been dragged away from her anticipated roll in the mud. But managing to at least somewhat keeping her dog in place, Jane then looked back up to be more engaged in the small talk. "So- how's that new alarm system working out for ya'?" she asked politely, even if she was only vaguely interested in the alarm she had been asked to look at a couple of weeks back.
Mrs Rochester smiled. "Just fine, thank you. We're really grateful for you taking the time to come over."
Jane just shrugged, although still not certain what her being a detective had to do with burglar alarm systems. "I'm just glad I could help," she then however replied.
Again, the older woman smiled, before shifting her focus back to Maura. "I noticed there was some moving going on at your place yesterday," she said. "You're not moving are you?"
"Oh no," Maura replied and shook her head. She smiled, and put an affectionate hand on her friend's knee. "Jane has just moved in with me."
She caught her friend's eyes and shared an affectionate smile, both letting their eyes linger for just a moment longer than necessary.
Moved by the warm scene in front of her, Mrs Rochester couldn't help but smile as well. "Well isn't that lovely-" she said, the joy for her two neighbours quite clearly portrayed in her voice. "You must both be thrilled."
Jane and Maura smiled, none of them really aware that the smiles appearing in their faces greatly exceeded what they would have expected. "It's kinda exciting, yeah," Jane then replied.
"Well, welcome to the neighbourhood. I hope you'll like it here."
"I'm sure I will," Jane replied with another brief smile in her friend's direction. "And we'll have a house warming later or something when I'm all settled," she then continued as her eyes were set back at Mrs Rochester. "Wanna to get to know everyone, and everything you know."
Maura looked at her friend and smiled, realizing she had not really given the idea of a house warming party a thought. But then again, she had never really held one herself and she couldn't even recall if she'd ever been to one. But of course her friend would arrange for one. She would do all the neighbourly right things, and would surely be well acquainted with all of their neighbours by the end of the month, if she wasn't already.
"How nice of you," Mrs Rochester replied to Jane's proposal, a genuinely delighted expression in her face. "Not that you aren't a regular already around here, but of course we would love to come."
"Sounds great," Jane smiled back. "We'll let you know when and how later."
Mrs Rochester smiled pleasantly, but then a slightly distressed expression appeared in her face. "I'm afraid you'll find that not everyone in this neighbourhood will be as forthcoming to you two as one might hope though-." She sighed wearily. "You would think that these intellectual Bostonians living here would be a bit more progressive and open minded, but sometimes they can all be a bunch of hypocrites." She shook her head in obvious disapproval, before settling her eyes back on Jane and Maura. "Just to give you a heads up."
But this only offered two very puzzled faces from the pair on the park bench, and immediately a somewhat self-conscious expression spread across the older woman's face.
"Oh look at me-," she exclaimed. "I'm not giving the best image of the area, am I?" She chuckled nervously for herself. "They really aren't that bad. Except from maybe one or two." She glanced over to Maura and her face was again struck by that slight self-criticising expression. "And how stupid of me, you are hardly new in the area Dr Isles - you would surely know how everything is around here just as well as I do. Especially regarding these matters."
Although slightly bewildered by the random comment from her neighbour, or why she would think Maura would be more knowledgeable about whatever it was she was talking about, Maura only found herself reacting to the fact that she would have no idea about any of their neighbours attitudes and opinions. About anything. She opened her mouth to give her, as always, most honest reply, but was interrupted when Jane spoke first.
"Uhm, yeah-," Jane said, trying not to focus too much on the slight confusing statement from her new neighbour either. "Well every neighbourhood has its own downside, I guess."
"Yes of course," their neighbour said, again looking a bit uncomfortable. She cleared her throat, obviously wanting to find something else to talk about, before she then looked back, now smiling pleasantly at them again. "So do you have any plans on getting married now as well? Or having children?"
And again the cheerful woman was met by two very stunned faces.
But then, when the slight surprise had settled, Jane and Maura looked at each other and couldn't help but laugh.
"Oh we're not together," Maura then replied as politely as she could, again letting her hand land atop of her friend' leg – not really realizing it would be most contradicting to her words.
Bewildered, Mrs Rochester's eyes wandered between the two women, down to the ME's hand lingering on the detective's thigh, before looking back up at them again. "I'm sorry-," she then said, a confused frown in her face, "-I don't think I understand."
Jane tried suppressing an amused grin. "We're not a couple," she said and gesticulated between herself and her friend, hoping that could clarify any confusion. "Just two regular friends moving in together."
"But Mrs Rochester didn't seem the slightest bit reassured, but just stared at them. "But you're so-," she started confused but then stopped herself as realization finally settled. "Oh, how embarrassing," she then exclaimed self-consciously. "I always thought- And now when you're moving in-." She shook her head again, embarrassment written all over her face. "Oh god, how utterly embarrassing-"
She looked up at the two again, an unnecessary regretful expression in her face. "I'm so sorry. I had no idea."
Jane suppressed another smile, unable not to find the nervous ramble a bit amusing, but putting the woman out of her misery she shrugged. "Hey, it seems to be the general impression nowadays, so don't worry about it."
"Oh well that's a relief," Mrs Rochester exhaled with a slight nervous chuckle. "Then maybe I haven't made a complete fool out of myself?"
Maura smiled kindly. "Of course not."
They all went silent, Mrs Rochester looking a bit lost in thought. But then she looked back up, and seemingly to be unable not to share her thoughts she spoke again. "But I must say you do make the most charming couple," she said, a slight playful smile in her face. "Not every couple do, you know – straight or gay."
Jane forced a smile, and was much to her own dismay starting to feel a bit uncomfortable. So frankly, she was rather relieved when Maura replied. "Thank you-," the ME said and not at all sharing her friend's sudden discomfort, she smiled widely, "-that's very sweet of you to say."
"And it's really too bad-," Mrs Rochester then continued, encouraged by Maura's compliance, "-maybe it would have opened the minds of the Petersons' down the street to not to be so damn bigoted."
Jane cleared her throat. "Uh- yeah. Sorry about that."
And just now sensing her new neighbour's discomfort, also Mrs Rochester cleared her throat. "Oh well, I- I better get going then," she said quickly. "But I will see you two around."
Jane and Maura smiled in return; Jane slightly more forced than her friend, as their neighbour turned to leave.
"Bye bye," Jane then added with a slight exaggerated pleasantness as Mrs Rochester said her goodbye. And for a moment Jane and Maura sat silent, but when their neighbour was out of earshot Jane broke the silence.
"God, this is unbelievable," she said and shook her head in disbelief.
Maura, however, just let her gaze linger at the departing woman, before she leaned back against her friend, her head resting lightly on her shoulder. "Yes."
"Uhm, Maur?" Jane then asked a bit uncomfortable and gave Mrs Rochester - who had just glanced back to look at them - an awkward wave. She looked down at her friend. "You know it's these things that make them believe we're a couple don't you?"
Maura was silent for a moment before replying. "Yes," she said most honestly. "I do."
She knew that people could take their interactions the wrong way; that it apparently was odd to be this close. Maybe especially in public. But Maura couldn't help it. She enjoyed being this close. She enjoyed feeling the warmth from her friend when they were sitting like this, or when she felt her friend's arm around her. That they were in public, that people saw them and could get the wrong idea, was irrelevant. She was used to be misjudged anyway.
"Uhm-," Jane again said dumbfounded, feeling both a bit confused by her friend's obvious casualness, and uncertain whether she shared her friend's easygoing approach. Not that she didn't appreciate their comfortableness or didn't want them to be able to be this close – because frankly, she really did like it – but somehow it felt as if it was one thing being close when they were on their own, or when they could joke about it with friends and family who knew the truth. Giving the wrong signals in public felt different. "Do you want people to think we're a couple?"
Again Maura was silent for a moment before replying. "No," she then said. "Or well, I don't mind."
She sat up slightly, frowning uncertainly. Somewhere in the back of her mind though, she knew that even if she didn't necessarily wanted people to think they were together, she did like it all the same. Just like she knew that she liked it when their friends thought they were acting like a married couple; when it became clear that Angela would prefer to have her as a daughter-in-law. She knew it was odd, and maybe wrong, to feel so, but it felt good to be assumed – yes, assumed – to have a family. It had nothing to do with her and Jane being perceived as a couple or sexual partners. And misinterpretations from other, more distant, people only confirmed that she was considered to be normal enough to have a family.
Because even if Maura preferred not to think about it too much, she knew she had never really been considered as normal. Quite far from it actually. She had never fitted in anywhere - not in society, or any of its social groups - but always been seen as the outsider; the outsider most people found too weird to include. Not even when she was explicitly included, like in her own family into which she had been adopted and therefore chosen to belong, did she really seem to fit in.
It was not until she met Jane she slowly started experiencing how it felt to belong somewhere. Jane had not only given her the experience of having a best friend, but she had also invited her into her family; included her into the group of friends at work. Now it even seemed as if she would involve her in her own neighbourhood. Despite how strange it was, being assumed as Jane's partner really was just another way in which she felt as if she belonged.
At least that was what she told herself.
Because she couldn't say that her own appreciative feelings regarding the issue wasn't a bit confusing. Maybe especially the obvious craving she felt for being near her friend. But she had never really been good at interpreting feelings and emotions. The physiological structure of the human body or laws of physics she could understand as it was the simplest thing, but as soon as it came to things such as human emotions she was at a loss. That was after all why she thought living people were inconceivably complex – and that applied also to herself. She simply didn't know what to do or think when her own self was nothing but a confusing turmoil of emotions. What she knew now though, was that she felt good, that she was happy, and that was something she gladly left it at.
"And besides-," she then finally said, deciding to push any remaining confusion away. She looked at Jane and inched closer, tugging at her friend's arm to put it around her, "-I'm still a bit cold." She offered a pleasant, yet slightly playful, smile.
And seeing that, Jane couldn't help not to smile either. Somehow just seeing her friend's face, her innocent and lovely smile, made her own slight concerns become inexistent.
"You are, are ya'?" she grinned as she willingly let her friend sneak in under her arm.
"Mhmm," Maura nodded, although realizing it was just a ruse – a ruse she figured they were both perfectly aware of. But she didn't really care that it was and instead she just relaxed against her friend's side.
"Comfy?" Jane asked, an amused smirk in her face.
Maura nodded. "Yes. Thank you."
Jane couldn't help but let out a small chuckle. But then, with a lingering smile on her lips, she tightened her hold around her friend. And just like that they got wrapped up in their own private, carefree, little bubble again.
