Author's note: thank you very much for the reviews, they are really appreciated.
Chapter twenty-six – Decisions
One. Two. Three.
Deep breath. Last glance at the magazines lying wide opened on the coffee table. Pout. Frown. "Let's get married."
Focused on an autopsy report – sitting at her desk in the living-room – Maura barely moved and kept on going through the document meticulously. Distant voice. "You have already proposed, Jane... And my answer hasn't changed. Yes, I want to marry you."
The brunette shook her head and kicked a magazine out of her way before grabbing her beer to take a sip of it. "Nah, that's not what I mean; although thanks for the confirmation. What I'm trying to say is let's get married now. Like in today." Smirk. She was at last getting Maura's attention. "I mean look at this... We haven't settled on a date – even less a place – and we barely have time to think about it. It's like we're going in circles. We haven't taken one freaking decision yet. Let's go to the city hall now."
"Your mother will never forgive us."
Interesting. That wasn't a definitive 'no'. "But we could simply like... I don't know... Host a big party to celebrate it. Then we would have our family and friends with us, yet without the stress of all this shit."
Maura frowned – obviously not convinced by Jane's last word – but remained silent for a while. There might be hope, as a matter of fact. She seemed to be pondering her words. Against all expectations. Jane had said that without even imagining that her partner would consider it at all and there she was, sitting at her desk – a pencil in hand – looking straight in front of her at an invisible point.
"Alright. Give me ten minutes, I need to finish revising the part about the pericardial sac before."
Jane blinked. Was she in the middle of some delirium? Maura – Maura Dorthea Isles, the control freak of Boston – had accepted to get married without any kind of preparation? And was ready to leave for the city hall within ten minutes? Without changing clothes nor spending an endless amount of time in her walk-in closet to choose what she assumed would be the perfect outfit for such event? They didn't even have rings.
"Please don't stare at me like that, Jane... It doesn't really help my concentration."
The brunette opened her mouth to reply but found herself speechless. Quietly – still taken aback – she proceeded to gather all the magazines and closed them one by one. Up on her feet. No, that wasn't a dream. Publications in hand, she headed to the kitchen and began to rip them off meticulously. Not so quietly, this time.
Distracted by the noise, Maura looked up and frowned in great confusion. "What are you doing?"
"Why we don't need them anymore so goodbye wedding dresses and hairdos!"
…
Sitting on a bench, Maura looked at her hotdog and shook her head as her laugh hit the air. "I cannot believe that this is my first meal as a married woman."
A grin lit up Jane's features. Her own hotdog in hand, she bent over to plant a thousandth kiss on her partner's cheek. "You're the best wife in the entire world. I love you!"
"God, Jane... Can you believe we did that?" She bit into her hotdog and looked at her left hand at the same time. They had stopped by the first jeweler on their way to the city hall to buy wedding bands. "We got married without telling anyone. Spontaneously."
Yet a huge weight seemed to have finally vanished from her chest. The stress of wedding preparations had gone away and truth to be told, she was happy. Plainly happy. Even with that hotdog and the fries, it was the most beautiful day of her life.
"Your mother is going to kill us."
"Not if we promise her that she'll have grandchildren." Silence. What on Earth, Rizzoli? Blushing, Jane moved nervously on her seat and hid behind her diet Coke. "I mean... There are always plenty of ways to make her forget this part, no worries. She'll throw her fit and then will already be on her next plan."
Awkward but that was one way to catch back on the whole thing. Maura didn't insist, not really more at ease with the maternity allusion. They had been together for three months, such conversation had not showed up yet. They were not that young anymore though. They couldn't wait for too long before taking a decision regarding the matter.
"Besides I'm wearing a dress. That should calm her down for a while."
Maura smiled and nodded. After getting rid of the pile of bridal magazines, Jane had rushed upstairs to change only to appear a few minutes later in a dress to the honey blonde's surprise.
"And I am wearing pants. Linen ones but still... This looks completely upside down!" Maura burst out laughing and let Jane grab her by the neck, making her lose her balance slightly; landing somewhat in her wife's arms in the process. "This hotdog is delicious!"
"Maura Isles – wait, no – Maura Isles-Rizzoli got married in pants and is now saying that junk food is yummy? I think I've seen it all, now." Jane winked and grabbed a few French fries. "If this day has to prove one thing then it is that sticking to received ideas is ridiculous."
Squinted her eyes – looking straight in front of her – Maura nodded, whispered. "I like the sound of it."
"I'm looking forward to seeing Lisa and Guadalupe's reaction when we tell them we got married like that... They got engaged before us and their ceremony is scheduled for July. That leaves them... Two months or so."
Two months of appointments all around the city, of diets and what-if regarding the weather forecast. Jane took a deep a breath and closed her eyes for a second. Yes, they had made the right choice, she knew it. "Maur'?"
"Hmm?"
"There is still one thing we haven't talked about though." Her smirk grew wider as she came to face a confused Maura. "We might not stick to traditions for our wedding but there is one thing I don't want to skip regarding it." Pause. "Our honeymoon."
"You are on call tomorrow, starting at 8am. We can't go away for the rest of the weekend nor get a few days off, I am afraid."
"No, indeed. However..." Her lunch over, Jane grabbed a paper napkin – cleaned her hands – and turned around to grab Maura by the waist. "It is barely 1.30pm. I'm sure it leaves enough time to enjoy this brand new status one way or another." Suggestive kiss on the scientist's neck. "There are some nice hotels in the area."
"I don't have my charger."
Magic: gone. Jane blinked and looked blankly at Maura for long seconds. "What do you need your charger for, exactly?"
"What if someone tries to reach me and I am running out of batteries? We didn't tell anyone that we were leaving the house. If we aren't back tonight and we don't answer our calls, people might happen to get worried."
Why? Why did Maura always have to be so logical? It was a real turn-off, at times. But too eager to actually have her very own Bostonian honeymoon, Jane didn't give up and concentrated hard instead.
"Fine. I send a message to ma' to tell her that we're off until tomorrow and that she doesn't have to get worried. She'll walk Jo Friday and feed the whole gang that stayed at home. Happy, now?"
Maura pursed her lips – squinted her eyes for a long moment – and finally smiled. "It surely seems to be a perfect compromise, to me."
She would have to call her parents as well, to tell them the news. Although unlike Jane, she did not fear their reaction at all. They would be happy, no matter the absence of ceremony. The idea of a dinner to celebrate their union – or even a full weekend – was a good compromise.
"Good. Now hurry up and finish your hotdog. I'm looking forward to being in this hot tub."
Frown. "What hot tub, Jane?"
The brunette snorted. "Why the one that will overlook Boston while we'll be in it drinking champagne and more!" Maura caught in full eye rolling. "What?"
The honey blonde raised an eyebrow, smirked. "And then you told me you didn't have any wedding fantasy..."
Typing furiously on her cell phone, Jane chuckled and shook her head. "Apart from the Red Sox thing, there was no wedding scenario going on in my head. However, I never said I didn't have any plan for my honeymoon. Nuance, my dear. Nuance."
"Does that mean you have fantasies about me?"
Jane finally looked up from her phone and stared at Maura as if she had lost her mind. "You had doubts about it?"