"What lasted 45 minutes?" Angela's eyes narrowed.
"The peace," Jane retorted just as the waitress came to their table with their food. The group was quiet as the meals were served, and the detective waited for Sandy to leave before she bothered to answer the demanding look on her Mother's face. "Look, Ma, here's probably not the right place or time to talk about this, okay?"
"I agree, Angela," Maura nodded as she trimmed the fat away from her steak.
"Well, I don't," the elder woman stabbed her mashed potatoes with her fork. Lowering her voice and putting as much threat as she could, she added, "If you two think I'm just going to drop this when it's obvious that something's going on that you're not telling me, you obviously don't know me very well."
"Obviously," Jane groaned under her breath as she doctored her baked potato.
"Be nice," Maura chastised, smirking ever so slightly.
"Sorry," came the grumbled reply as the younger Rizzoli finished salting, peppering, and such to the potato and moved to trim the fat from her own steak.
"See? This is what I'm talking about. Jane never apologizes to people!" Angela's voice pierced through the sounds of the restaurant, out doing the loud twang of the classic country singer's voice that was filling the room with background noise.
"Ma, will you keep your voice down?" Jane shot back through gritted teeth. "The people behind you are starting to stare at us."
"Sorry," Angela turned around and gave a little apologetic wave. "Sorry," she said to the people behind them as Jane rolled her eyes and ran a hand over her face. "Jane, come on… just tell me." Her mother cut a piece of her chicken fried steak, dipped in in the cream gravy covering her mashed potatoes, and took a bite. "This is good! Want to try some?"
"No and no," Jane grunted, taking a bite of her steak.
"Perhaps we should just tell her?" Maura raised an eyebrow, giving a little apologetic shrug to the woman next to her.
"Really?" Jane turned, setting her knife and fork down. "And what, exactly, would we tell her, Maura? We don't even know, do we? I mean, what would you call," she made a gesture between them, "this anyway?"
"Well… I… oh," the doctor deflated. "I see your point."
"Exactly," dark curls bounced as Jane gave a strong nod of her head, cowboy hat bouncing slightly. "Look, if we don't know, what do we tell her?" She pointed to her mother.
"You could start by telling me what you do know. What could possibly be so complicated that you have to talk about it before you can tell me? I'm your… oh," Angela's eyes grew wide, hands slowly lowering to the table, "OH… Ooohhhhhhhhhhh…"
"Ma! Really?" Jane hissed under her breath.
"Well, I just never thought that you two would… I mean, I've been around all this time! When did you even have a chance to … Did you two," Angela made vague, yet slightly lewd hand gestures where only the other two women could see, "the last time you spent the night together? I mean, did I walk in on…"
"MA! No!," the horrified and embarrassed response slipped out of Jane as she hid her face behind her hands and sunk further down in the booth.
"No, Angela, nothing like that," Maura responded calmly, trying not to laugh at their current situation. "Jane and I," she looked over to the sulking woman. "Jane, can I tell her at least what's happened so far?"
"Might as well," an air of childish irritation about her, Jane stabbed at her food, taking a bite of potato.
"Thank you," Maura gave Jane a reassuring pat to the arm before turning back to Angela. "Just before we came here tonight, we kissed."
"You kissed?" Angela tilted her head to the side, lips pursing. "Just kissed? That's all you two have done is kiss?"
"So far, yes," Maura nodded. Jane kept her mouth full of food, eyes glued to her plate.
"You mean to tell me that you two haven't done anything else? All this time? All those," putting her hands up in the air, Angela used air quotes, "sleepovers, and you never – not once – did anything?"
"No," confusion evident on the doctor's face, she asked, "what else would we have done?"
"Oh God," Jane groaned. "Look, Ma, all we've done is kiss a little, and that happened about 45 minutes ago. Up until then, everything was strictly platonic, honest. And," she sat up a little more in the booth, "you're taking this awfully well. What do you mean 'that's all' anyway?"
"Well, honey, you and Maura aren't very good at hiding things." Angela shrugged, stabbing another piece of her steak.
"Oh man, really? I can't even… So, all this time, you thought Maura and I had something going on behind the scenes that we weren't telling you about, and you were still trying to set me up?"
"Well, I wasn't sure, and you didn't tell me you were seeing anyone, so I figured what harm could there be. I mean, for all I know, you two could have an open relationship or something," Angela shrugged.
"No." Maura's response was both quick and decisive. "I'm not sharing."
"You're not?" Jane smirked.
"No. I'm not." Maura finished the last bite of her steak before she finished her thought. "If we are to pursue a romantic relationship with each other, I refuse to share you."
"I didn't realize I was your personal property, Dr. Isles," Jane replied coolly, though her eyes danced with humor.
"Are you kidding me?" Angela nearly did a spit take. "You've been hers since the first day she told you to move out her light. I'll never forget you telling me that story."
"You're not helping, Ma." Jane rolled her eyes, taking the cowboy hat off and tossing it into the empty space on the seat next to her mother.
"Mine," Maura mumbled under her breath, smiling sweetly as she winked at Angela.
Jane sighed. "So, you're good with all of this? With me and Maura being… um… a couple, maybe… possibly?"
"Likely," Maura added for good measure.
"I'd be lying if I said I understood it, but I love you, Janie, and I just want you to be happy. If this makes you happy, then who am I to tell you no? Besides, Maura's good people, and that's hard to find these days, and anyone that is willing to put up with your abuse on a regular basis is a keeper, if you ask me."
"Hey!" Jane snapped.
"I told her that just the other day, actually," Maura nodded as she picked up the dessert menu. "Pecan pie?"
"Oh, that sounds good. Let's try that!" Angela nodded, eyes bright.
"God, my life is a dramedy," Jane mumbled.
"Everyone's life is a combination of a drama and a comedy, Jane. If one's life were filled with just one…"
"Yes, Maura, thank you. I get all that, I'm just saying… whatever. Are we ordering the pie or not?" Jane leaned over to look at the menu with the doctor.
"You two are already fighting like a married couple," the elder Rizzoli beamed. "How long until you think you'll actually get.."
"No, Ma."