Chapter Ten – Art Show

Constance Isles swanned around the venue with an ease that only an accomplished woman could pull off. She moved from guest to guest so perfectly that nobody ever noticed she was brushing them off for the next cheque book to come along. Her work tonight was available for sale, with all the profits going towards a local charity, so she was eager to cajole them into parting with as much money as possible.

She looked across the room and noticed Maggie. A nice girl, sweet in her own way, and if Maura truly wanted to spend her life with her then Constance would climb on board with that, but not before she had exhausted every trick to get Jane back into her life! Jane wasn't a nice, sweet girl; Jane was a force. A soulmate, the kind of woman who would bring passion and excitement to Maura's life.

Angela had kept her up to date with little Luca. He was a joy. And now, Casey was gone. She had hardly kept the smile from her face since Angela had sent a quick text with the news. Both of them agreed that it wasn't their place to inform Maura, but if they could just get them into the same room together, then maybe the natural course of events would bring them together. Of course, she hadn't expected Maggie to have tagged along.

As though thinking of her had conjured her up, Angela appeared at the door…alone! That wasn't the plan either. Constance made her apologies to the woman she was speaking to and glided effortlessly across the floor until she was standing beside Angela.

"Connie, this is amazing," Angela gushed as she looked around at all the opulence and art adorning the walls, floor, and people.

Constance grasped Angela's elbow and led her aside. "Where is Jane?" she whispered hurriedly, aware that Maura could appear at any time.

"She wouldn't come. She said she knew Maura was in town and she wasn't going to be the one to make things awkward tonight."

"Dammit," Connie hissed. "The entire night was planned around Jane being here."

Angela leant in. "I know, but what could I do?" She shrugged. Her face lit up into a huge grin as she noticed Maura for the first time in more than three months. "Maura," she called out. The honey blonde's head swivelled at the calling of her name. She smiled shyly and walked towards the woman she considered another mother.

"Angela, how are you?" She barely had the words out before she was wrapped inside a Rizzoli hug. God, how she missed those. When Angela pulled back, she held her at arm's length and studied her.

"You're not eating enough. Come by the house tomorrow, I've got some of that chicken cacciatore you love."

"Thank you, I'm not sure we will have time. Our flight is quite early."

"Nonsense, I'll be up. And you virtually have to drive past to get to the airport," she implored with all the guilt an Italian mother had learned these past 40 years. "Come home, Maura," she threw in as a last plea.

Maura didn't reply. Instead she used Maggie to change the subject. "Oh, where are my manners? Angela, this is Maggie. Maggie, Angela." The introduction felt awkward. Like introducing your ex-wife's mother to the new wife, only nobody had been married…except Jane.

Angela sized her up before finally smiling and holding out a hand. No Rizzoli hugs.

"Nice to meet you, Maura has told me so much about you all," Maggie said.

Angela wasted in no time in grabbing her chance. "Oh, I am sure she only told you the good bits! The times her and Janie got into some kind of trouble." She shook her head, laughing. "My Janie and Maura were like that." She held up two fingers, one crossed over the other. "Couldn't separate them."

Maggie's smile slipped a little at the mention of Jane. "I have heard a few tales."

"Its always nice to have a new friend," Angela said, turning to Maura as she said it.

Maura smiled, felt the hit of that jibe, and batted back. "Maggie is my girlfriend, Angela. My partner; we're seeing each other."

If she expected that to make Angela Rizzoli uncomfortable, she was wrong. "Oh, wonderful," she said. And then she added, "I always thought you and Janie would end up together." She glanced across the room and found Constance waving her over. "If you'll excuse me, your mother wants to introduce me to a gorgeous man called George."

Maura tried to smile, but the realisation that Angela knew, and more, would have been in favour of it, hit her for six. She felt the light touch of a hand at her back, and instantly her mind swarmed with images of Jane.

"Hey, you okay?" Maggie's kind voice spoke quietly against her ear.

She nodded. "Yes, if you'll excuse me though, I need to…the bathroom, I'll be right back."

Maggie watched as Maura walked away. A touch of sadness enveloped her as she realised that Boston and more specifically, Jane Rizzoli, were where Maura felt most at ease. She had noticed it all day, from the moment the plane had touched down. Something had lifted in Maura, and her smile was no longer forced. She wondered how somebody who was as brilliant as Det. Jane Rizzoli was supposed to be could be so blind.

~R&I~

Maura stood at the mirror reapplying her lipstick – one, she noted, Jane had bought her last Christmas as part of a set. So many memories of Jane. The door opened and closed. Heeled footsteps moved into the room. Maura's eyes closed, willing herself to just get through tonight, and then she could go. Back to the mountains. Not home; home would always be here.

"Maura?" She felt herself smile as she heard her name said in that familiar raspy tone. Did she dare to look?

Opening her eyes, she saw herself in the reflection of the mirror. And there she was, the one woman who could break her world and then put it all back together again with a single sentence.

"Ma told me that you would be here. I wasn't going to come, but…" She looked good. A simple black dress, her hair up. Maura continued to look. "I just…actually, I saw you earlier, today, at the Common." Her words seemed to be tumbling out before she could think them through. "You looked…happy. Are you?"

Maura turned to face her. A face she hadn't seen in months. She looked tired and something else: sad. "Jane, I…" She took a step forward.

"Are you happy, Maura?"

She nodded. "Yes, I am happy." She wanted to add a but, but there was no chance to.

Jane smiled, dimples popping. "Then I'm glad." Eyes lingered like they always did. "I should go, I just…I just wanted to see you one more time."