A/N: Alright here we go. Family dinner time. Just so you guys know, it will probably take a few chapters to get through dinner. And Officer Thomas will definitely be making another appearance after dinner sometime, so don't worry. So here is the next chapter. Enjoy. And thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed/favorited/followed. It totally make me feel good inside.
Maura never slept as well as she did that morning that she was wrapped in Jane's arms. When her alarm went off she found it very difficult to leave the bed. She felt Jane's strong muscular arms surrounding her and she felt safe and warm. As she lay there, willing herself to get up and get ready, she felt Jane press her lips to her head. Maura spun herself so that she could face Jane. She looked up into Jane chocolate eyes and smiled.
"I have to go to my internship." Maura whispered as she snuggled into Jane's chest.
Jane let out a groan. "I would be happy to stay like this forever."
After a few minutes, Maura broke free from Jane's grasp and crawled out of bed. She went to the closet and grabbed an outfit to wear as well as an extra set of scrubs. When she came back into the room, she saw Jane sitting on the edge of the bed, rubbing her face with her hands. "I'm going to take a quick shower. I'll be out in a few minutes." She smiled and headed to the bathroom.
When Maura got out of the bathroom, she looked around her bedroom and noticed that Jane was gone. Her boots, uniform shirt, and utility belt were no longer on the chair she had placed them when they went to bed. Maura was slightly hurt that Jane had left without saying goodbye, but then she smelled the heavenly aroma of coffee brewing. She went downstairs to see Jane pouring a coffee into a travel mug. Maura smiled. Jane, hearing Maura's heels on the floor, spun around to meet Maura's gaze.
"I thought you could use some coffee." Jane smiled nervously and held out the coffee.
Maura took the coffee from Jane and sat it down on the counter. She went up and wrapped her arms around Jane. "You are too sweet."
Jane leaned down and kissed Maura passionately. She placed her hand behind Maura's neck and deepened the kiss. Maura felt Jane's tongue circling her lips, begging for entrance. Maura opened her lips, allowing Jane's tongue inside. She felt Jane's tongue explore her mouth before meeting her own. Finally Jane broke the kiss, leaving Maura breathless. Eyes still closed, she heard Jane whisper in her ear, "You're pretty sweet yourself."
Maura smiled. "As much as I want more of that, I really need to go. I really don't want to be late." Maura grabbed her coffee and they walked out the front door.
The rest of the week was similar to the first few days. Maura spent most of her day in the morgue. She found that now that she wasn't under the supervision of Dr. Pike, she loved her internship more than any other she had done. Dr. Williams was a great mentor and she found herself learning a lot from the woman. Maura assisted in multiple autopsies and loved the feeling that she was doing something to help the poor victim lying on the table. Vince had come down to inform them that the husband of the woman that they had autopsied on Monday had confessed to slowly poisoning his wife with anti-freeze by putting it in her margaritas. They weren't having as much luck with the case they had caught on early Tuesday morning.
Maura made sure to stop by the café everyday to say hello to Angela. Every time she did Angela pulled her into a big hug. It was strange because Maura had never been one to hug or show much physical affection but she found that she felt safe and loved when Angela hugged her and wished that her own parents had been affectionate like this woman. Angela made sure to remind Maura about dinner on Friday every time she saw her and Maura assured the woman that she would be there.
Maura was thankful that she didn't get any more middle of the night calls to go to crime scenes, although that meant she didn't get to cuddle with Jane in bed the rest of the week either. Jane stopped by on Wednesday before she went to work. They ordered Chinese and then cuddled on the couch until it was time for Jane's shift. Maura had grown to really care for Jane and she could tell that Jane was feeling more comfortable being with Maura. Maura kept her promise that she would go as slow as Jane needed, but she truly enjoyed every touch of Jane's skin and felt electricity every time Jane touched her. She hated that Jane worked while she slept and she had to work while Jane was off. She couldn't wait until this week was over and Jane would have some time off and then go back to a daytime shift.
Right before Maura was ready to leave for the day on Thursday, Dr. Williams informed her that she had just been called out to another crime scene. The ME gave Maura the choice of coming along and although she wanted to go home she didn't want to pass up the chance. She informed the doctor that she would meet her at the scene and went out to her car. She decided to call Jane in case she tried to stop by before her shift. After two rings, Jane picked up.
"Hey there. What's up, Maur?"
"Hey. I have to stay late tonight. Well, I don't have to stay late, but I have a good opportunity and it would be very beneficial to me to…"
Jane cut her off. "Maur, I get it. It's ok. I actually needed to do some things tonight before my shift anyway. I am so happy this is my last night of this for a while. Oh, I forgot to tell you something. I know that I have tomorrow night off and I would really like to spend my time off with you but I have a family thing. I tried to get out of it but my ma says that she scheduled it around me so I kinda have to go. I can come by later if that would be ok."
"Jane, I would love to see you tomorrow night. Don't worry about dinner. Some friends from work actually invited me over for dinner and it would be rude to cancel this late. Just call me when you are done with your family obligation. I can't wait to see you again."
"Have a good night Maur. I'll see you tomorrow night. I'll be dreaming about you until then."
Jane arrived at her parent's house late Friday afternoon. She took in a deep breath before going in the front door. She knew that her ma was going to complain about the way she was dressed like usual, but she didn't care. After a week of midnight shifts she was going to be comfortable. So she wore her worn jeans, a long sleeve thermal shirt, and her favorite Bruins sweatshirt. She was probably going to spend most of the time here watching the game with Frankie and Vince, so she was going to wear her lucky sweatshirt. She had barely stepped inside when she heard her mother yelling at her.
"Janie, we are having company tonight and this is how you dressed? I really wish you would dress nicely just once."
"Do we have to go through this every time ma? Plus, how was I supposed to know we were having company." Jane paused for a minute. "Ma, please tell me that you aren't setting me up with someone tonight."
"Well, if I was I would have told you to dress nicer than that. I would be so embarrassed if I asked someone to come over to see my beautiful daughter and they met someone dressed like some homeless person."
"I love you, too, ma." Jane went into the kitchen and grabbed a beer. "Is Frankie in the living room?"
"Yes, he's in there with Vince. We are just waiting on Tommy and our guest."
"Are we sure Tommy is coming tonight? Not out there breaking a few laws?" Jane joked.
"Jane, I wish you weren't so hard on your brother."
"Someone has to be, ma. He just does whatever he wants."
"Just promise me you will take it easy on him tonight when we have company. Just do me that one favor." Angela begged her daughter.
Jane sighed. "Fine, ma. I'll behave. But he better not test me. I won't put up with too much of his shit."
"Language Jane." Angela scolded.
Jane chuckled, thinking how Maura would have said the same thing. She then kissed her mom on the cheek and went into the living room to find Frankie and Vince.
"So what did I miss?" She called out to the two men watching the hockey game.
"Hey Janie. Good to see you." Vince stood up and gave her a hug.
"Good to see you, too Vince." She turned to her little brother who remained seated. She rubbed his head, which was recently shaved. "How was someone's first week at the Academy?"
"Uhhh. Jane, I hurt everywhere. I don't think I am going to make it." Frankie sounded so tired.
"You can do it. I mean you don't want to be the weak one in the family do you?" Jane knew that by teasing her brother, she would actually motivate him. He was going to make a great cop and she wasn't going to let him give up.
"All I know is I have been dreaming about ma's chicken parm all week. I really don't know if I would have made it this far without Annie calling me every night."
"You still seeing that girl? I guess that's the secret to you keeping a girl for more than a few days. Make sure you are so tired that you can't scare them away." She hit her brother in the upper arm.
"Ow, Jane. Please. I am so sore."
Jane laughed. "Fine, you big baby. Puck's about to drop anyway." Jane sat on the couch next to her brother and took a big sip of her beer.
Maura parked her car outside of the address that Angela had given her earlier in the day. She was nervous. She really had become very fond of Angela and Vince but she didn't have much luck making friends with people her own age. She really hoped that Angela's children wouldn't see her for the strange person that everyone else her age saw her as. Everyone her age except for Jane. She smiled as her thoughts went to Jane. She couldn't wait until this dinner was over and she could just spend time with Jane without either of them having to run out to work. But she didn't want to seem ungrateful to Angela and Vince so she was determined to stay in the moment and try hard to keep her thoughts off of Jane.
She stepped in front of the home and took a deep breath. She stepped up to the door and knocked. From inside she could hear Angela screaming. Maura assumed she was yelling at Vince and her children about the knock at the door. She heard the voice get louder and finally Angela opened the door. Angela had a wide grin on her face. Maura could tell from Angela's appearance that she had been cooking and Maura thought that Angela probably had every reason to yell at her family if she had been in the middle of cooking.
"Maura, I am so glad you could make it." Angela pulled Maura into one of her patented Angela hugs. When she finally released Maura, Maura couldn't help the smile on her face. She loved Angela's hugs.
"Thank you so much for inviting me to your home, Angela." Maura held out a bottle of wine. "My mother always told me it was rude to go to someone's home without bringing something. I hope you enjoy this wine. It has always been one of my favorites."
"Maura, you are here as our guest. You didn't need to bring anything. But this is an extremely thoughtful gesture. We can open this and have it with dinner. Oh where are my manners, please come inside. You must be freezing out there." Maura followed Angela into the house. She noticed that just inside the door was a small hallway. Down the hall, Maura could hear voices yelling.
Angela saw the look on Maura's face and quickly answered. "Oh, don't worry about that sweetie. That's just Vince and the kids watching the Bruins game. They always get a little rowdy. Let me take your coat." Maura took off her coat and handed it to Angela. "Oh sweetie, you look great. I keep arguing with my daughter about the way she dresses when she comes over for dinner. Maybe you could talk her about a proper wardrobe." Maura smiled nervously. She really didn't want to get pulled into a fight with Angela and her daughter that she had yet to meet.
"Maura, I need to run back to the kitchen to finish dinner. Why don't you go to the living room and have Vince introduce you to the kids. We are still waiting on one but he should be here shortly." Angela gave Maura another hug before she walked back to the kitchen.
Maura walked down the hallway towards the yells she heard. Maura could feel that this house had been lived in. It felt much different than the houses that she had grown up in. She grew up in houses that were cold and Maura never felt she belonged in them. This was a home. It was warm and she could feel the love here. She already felt like she was welcome here.
Maura walked into the living room. She could now clearly hear the yells.
"Come on, that was a perfectly legal hit."
That voice. It's so familiar. But I must just be hearing what I want to hear.
"Whatever. Time to kill another penalty."
"Wait, here comes the shorthanded goal."
The room burst into cheers. Maura noticed Vince standing in front of a chair facing the tv. Directly in front of the tv was a couch with two people in their early twenties. From behind, Maura could see that the male was bald, looking as if his head was freshly shaven. Next to him, a thin female in jeans and a hoodie with unruly raven locks.
That hair. I would know it anywhere. It can't be. This can't be…
Maura scanned the room and noticed the pictures all over the walls. There, in various stages of her life, were photos of Jane. Her Jane. This was her family home. This was her family. Maura's palms started to sweat. She didn't think she was ready to meet Jane's family. Well she had already met them, but not as Jane's family. They had been seeing each other less than a week. What have I gotten myself into? Her mind started racing as she thought of ways she could sneak out without lying and without hurting Angela and Vince's feelings. Maura was frozen. Just as she was plotting her way out, she saw Vince catch sight of her. It was too late. She was stuck.
"Hey Maura. Glad you could make it. And it looks like you are good luck, too. The Bruins just scored."
As soon as Vince said that name, Jane turned her head to look at Frankie. Frankie peered over the couch and saw the woman he had met less than a week ago. He slowly turned his head back to Jane and simply nodded. Jane whipped her head so quickly that Maura feared she had hurt her neck. As she spun around, she saw the beautiful girl that she had started to fall for standing, frozen, in her parent's living room.
A/N 2: Duh, duh, duhhhh. So what is going to happen? Hmm. Hope you enjoyed. More dinner drama to come. Oh and just so you guys know- I love hockey. So in my story they watch hockey.