Jane heard the key in her lock and winced. Maura. She turned guiltily to greet the medical examiner but her gloomy face fell even further when she was confronted by the face of her Ma. The detective groaned and slouched onto her couch.
"Jane Clementine Rizzoli! Look at the state of this place!" Angela threw the car keys at her daughter and tutted.
"Ma! Please don't shout!" Jane cradled her sensitive head.
Angela shook her head at the amount of beer bottles littering her daughter's apartment "I'm not surprised if all these are from last night! But you probably can't tell!" She smacked the detective's legs "Go get showered I wanna be out in an hour."
Jane glared at her Ma "Out? What? Where?"
Angela gave her an exasperated look "Sunday. Family dinner. Tonight. You're gonna help me shop."
The brunette stared at the older woman in disbelief "Since when?!"
"Since your brother is busy looking after your dog! Come on!" She slapped Jane's legs again and smiled triumphantly as the detective stood up. She bustled her out of the room into her bedroom and shut the door in her face.
Jane stood looking at her bedroom door bewildered. What the hell just happened? She shook her head like a sulking teenager and then clutched her head in pain. That last beer wasn't a smart idea. She headed for the shower and sighed, Ok...the last five weren't smart.
Angela was like a mother whirlwind, the speed and ferocity with which she cleaned and tidied was phenomenal. She had cleaned most of Jane's apartment and began cooking breakfast when her bedraggled daughter emerged from her bedroom. "One or two eggs Janie?"
Jane eyed her Ma suspiciously and held up two fingers. "What are you up to?"
Angela pulled her most convincing innocent face "What? Can't I come see my daughter?"
"No." Jane frowned at her.
"Come on Janie it's not often I get to come and take care of u." Angela smiled widely as she pushed a cup of coffee toward the detective.
"Ma..."
"Yes baby?"
"You're up to something." Jane sniffed her coffee carefully before taking a tentative sip.
"No I'm not!" Angela huffed, irritated.
Jane raised an eyebrow "Yes you are. You've got that look."
Angela avoided her daughter's intense gaze "What look?"
Jane smirked "That look, where you try and look all innocent but you can't look me in the eye!"
Angela simply shrugged and plated up Jane's breakfast and slid it across to her. "You are coming to dinner tonight aren't you?"
Jane dropped the fork that was en route to her mouth "I knew it!"
"Knew what?" Angela didn't meet the brunette's eyes.
"You are up to something! Have you set me up with another loser?" Jane jabbed an accusing finger at her Ma.
Angela looked at her with wide eyes "What? No!"
Jane sighed "You have haven't you? Look Ma I don't need looking after! I'm a grown woman! A homicide detective! I don't need you to pick out men for me! I can do that myself." Angela opened her mouth "Ok! So my track record isn't great for picking the best guys but so what!" Jane shovelled in a mouthful of breakfast and hummed, she hadn't realised how hungry she was, she pointed the fork at her Ma "Maura's just the same! She picks men with diseases and you never set her up!" Angela bit the inside of her cheek to keep herself quiet. "I'm not doing it!" Jane said through another mouthful "I'm not going on a blind date with some pathetic bachelor!"
"Janie I just want-"
Jane swallowed quickly to cut her Ma off "I know! I know! You want to know I'm with someone to know I won't grow old alone and you think I need a guy to support me. But I don't Ma! I can support myself and I don't need looking after!" Jane decided to conveniently ignore the fact that without Angela coming round and cooking Jane wouldn't have been eating at that moment.
Angela muttered quietly "I haven't set you up."
Jane looked at her Ma and saw the upset apparent on her face, she sighed heavily "Oh...I'm sorry Ma, I'm just tired."
"Why didn't you stay at Maura's then?"
Jane avoided her Ma's gaze and focused intently on her breakfast.
Angela sighed "I saw her this morning." Jane didn't look up. "She seemed upset."
Jane gulped noisily "Maybe she regretted sending her date home." The brunette looked up to see the question in Angela's eyes and realised that she didn't see that part of the evening. She shrugged "She reckoned he had some syndrome or other."
Angela shook her head and smiled "You two..."
Jane looked up and frowned "Us two what? I don't drive men away because I find flaws in them!" She muttered under her breath "I don't have to..." She laughed soberly "Then again Maura's so beautiful she can afford to do that."
Angela smirked at her daughter's comment as she pulled the empty plate away from her. "Go get your washing Janie and we'll go." Jane pulled a face at her Ma as she pointedly looked at the clock. "Now?"
Jane sulkily stomped off to her bedroom knowing full well that while that may have been posed as a question it was a demand.