Chapter 13: The Epilogue

Next Spring (Friday, May 8)

Jane turned when she heard the tell-tale click-clack of Maura's heels cross the bullpen. She smiled, noticing how beautiful Maura looked even after a long case. Maura walked up to Jane and stood next to her desk.

"Are you almost ready to go?" Maura asked Jane.

"Can't we just go home?" Jane whined.

Maura chuckled. "No, we promised Gia we'd be there," she said firmly but with a hint of a smile.

Across from Jane, Frost stood up, grabbing his jacket from the back of his chair. "Bye Doc. Have a good weekend," he said politely to Maura as he walked towards the elevator to leave. "C'ya, Rizzoli!" he called over his shoulder.

"Bye, Barry," Maura replied.

"Bye," Jane said. Once Frost was gone, Jane turned back to Maura. "Alright, alright, I'm coming," she huffed. "I still wish we could go home," she added as they got in the elevator.

Maura just rolled her eyes and smiled. After a year together, she had learned that Jane's complaining was more for show than actual displeasure. In the end, Jane would pretty much do whatever Maura asked. In this case, though, Maura knew that Jane wanted to be there for Gia, as well.

"I don't understand why this couldn't be at her restaurant or one of our houses," Jane said as they exited the front door of the precinct.

"She wants to celebrate her one-year anniversary as CEO at the place she was when she found out she was getting the job," Maura explained patiently for what was probably the tenth time that week.

Jane stopped to open the passenger-side door for Maura. "I know," she whined, but she smiled at Maura and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before Maura climbed in the car. "I'd just rather spend the evening with you cuddled on the couch with takeout and a movie." Jane made her way around the car and got in the driver's seat, navigating them east towards downtown.

They were both relatively quiet on the drive to the hotel, each lost in their own thoughts. Jane parked and walked around the other side of the car to open Maura's door for her, reaching out her hand to help Maura stand. They linked hands as they walked into the hotel. When they got to the elevators, Maura pressed the up button.

As they stepped on the elevator, Jane asked, "What floor?"

"Twelve," Maura responded as she stepped forward to press the button herself.

Jane leaned back against the back wall of the elevator and closed her eyes. She was tired, but she was also happy for her friend. The last year had been amazing. Maura had moved to Boston in mid-September; Susie had moved here as well after Maura had offered her the position of senior criminalist with the medical examiner's office. Jane loved working with Maura; well, actually, everyone at BPD loved working with Maura. She was incredibly good at her job, and she and Jane made a great team. It was also great to have Gia back in Boston. The four of them had grown close over the past year, often hanging out with Frankie, Frost, and Korsak as well. They still spent most Sundays at her parents for Rizzoli Sunday Dinner, and Jane was pretty sure her family liked Maura better than they liked her.

Maura had purchased a house in Beacon Hill when she moved to Boston. On Christmas, Maura had asked Jane to move in with her, which was more of a formality than anything else since they spent almost every night together anyway. With most of what she needed already at Maura's, Jane had moved her remaining items that she wanted to keep and sold the rest by the new year. They'd had their ups and downs, especially when learning to both live and work together, but both women could easily say that they were happier than they had ever been before.

Suddenly, the elevator jerked and stopped, causing Jane to push off the wall and stand up straight quickly as she tried to figure out what was happening.

"Jane," Maura said softly.

Jane turned, making eye contact with Maura, her smile growing as she realized what was happening.

Maura reached out and took both of Jane's hands in her own. "Jane, a year ago I traveled to Boston for my ex-boyfriend and former best-friend's wedding. I had been dreading the weekend for months, but had I known what that weekend would bring…" Maura paused, stopping to wipe away the tears that started to leak from her eyes. Returning her hands to Jane's, she continued, "That weekend turned out to be the best weekend of my life up until that point and that was entirely because of you. Every part of my life is better with you in it. One year ago today, in this very elevator, I met my best friend and the love of my life."

Maura let go of Jane's hands and reached into the pocket of her dress, pulling out a small box, she got down on one knee. Looking up at Jane, Maura felt like the world had stopped turning. Her breath caught in her throat as she tried to commit everything about this moment to memory: Jane's chocolate brown eyes shining from the tears pouring down her face, the sound of Jane's gasp when Maura got down on one knee, Jane's hands covering her mouth in shock, the light from the ceiling of the elevator highlighting Jane's unruly curls.

Opening the ring box to display a simple white gold engagement ring with a center-cut diamond, Maura asked, her voice thick with tears, "Jane, I love you so much, more than I ever thought possible, and I want to spend the rest of my life trying to make you half as happy as you make me. Will you marry me?"

Jane nodded, too choked up to say anything. She reached down to pull Maura up, engulfing her in a massive hug. "Yes," she gasped into Maura's ear as she held her tight. "Yes, I will marry you."

Both women stood there crying into each other's embrace for a few minutes. Finally, Jane leaned back just enough to look into Maura's face. Taking in her girlfriend's – no fiancé's – sparkling hazel eyes, her rosy tear-streaked cheeks, and her glowing smile, Jane closed the distance between them pulling Maura into a passionate loving kiss, hoping to convey everything she couldn't get out in words. Releasing Maura's lips from her own, she whispered, "I love you so much."

Maura stepped back out of Jane's embrace and pulled the ring from its box. Dropping the box back into her purse on the ground, Maura took Jane's left hand in her own and slid the ring onto her finger.

"It's beautiful," Jane choked out. "I love it." Unable to stand being apart any longer, Jane pulled Maura back into a hug. "You, um, you ruined my plans though," she said into Maura's hair. Maura laughed, leaning back so that she could see Jane's face. Smiling at Maura, Jane continued, "I have a ring for you at home. I wish I had it now, but I was going to ask you Memorial Day weekend."

"I'm sorry I ruined your plans," Maura said. She was being honest, but she still couldn't stop the smile that seemed to have permanently taken over her face.

"You don't look very sorry," Jane teased.

"I'm sorry I ruined your plans," Maura reiterated, "but I'm not sorry I asked you to marry me."

"Me neither," Jane admitted. "This was perfect, better than I could ever imagine."

"Good," Maura said, placing a chaste kiss on Jane's lips before stepping back. She reached over and restarted the elevator. "I wish we could stay here all night, just the two of us together, but I was only able to convince the hotel to rent the elevator to me for about 20 minutes, so we're almost out of time.

"You rented the elevator?" Jane asked, laughing.

Maura nodded. "You didn't think they'd notice if one of the elevators stopped randomly for 20 minutes?" she said with a smile.

"I didn't really think about it," Jane admitted. "Wait, you planned this," Jane stated the obvious. "Is Gia actually having a party here?"

"She did rent a room to host a party," Maura said with a smirk.

"But?"

"It's not an anniversary party," Maura answered as the elevator reached the twelfth floor and they exited. Maura led them to the door she was looking for and knocked.

Gia immediately opened the door and an explosion of "Congratulations!" greeted them from inside the room.

They were both dragged into the room as all their friends and family offered them hugs and congratulations.

Angela was the first to reach them. She quickly pulled Maura into a hug. "Congratulations, sweetie," Angela squealed into Maura's ear. "We're so excited for you to become an official member of the family. I couldn't ask for a better daughter-in-law."

More tears pricked at Maura's eyes as she hugged Angela. She had come to love Jane's family almost as much as she loved Jane over the past year. They had accepted her with open arms in a way she never even knew possible.

Next to Maura and Angela, Jane was talking to Gia. "Thank you," Jane said with a smile. "I can't believe you guys pulled this off."

"It's a good thing we had another milestone close enough to today to be believable because your fiancé really cannot lie," Gia said with a laugh. "She started to panic at the thought of even trying."

"Well, luckily you can lie just fine," Jane teased. "But, seriously, thank you."

"Congratulations, Jane," Gia said sincerely. "I'm so happy for you idiots."

Jane rolled her eyes. "You can call me an idiot, but you cannot call my fiancé an idiot!" Jane scolded playfully.

"Fair enough," Gia laughed. "You were the biggest idiot anyway."

Jane just laughed. She couldn't really deny it. When she thought back to those first few weeks with Maura, she couldn't understand why she had been so unsure of how Maura felt about her.

They enjoyed an evening of drinks and appetizers – including cheese and crackers, the perfect snack – with their friends and family. Everyone wanted a chance to talk to Jane and Maura, and they kept getting pulled into separate conversations. As always, though, they would easily find their way back to each other. Jane loved that their family and friends wanted to celebrate them, but she all she really wanted to do was to be alone with Maura so that they could celebrate.

"I thought you couldn't lie," Jane whispered into Maura's ear later that evening. Maura jumped and a shiver ran down her spine at the feeling of Jane's breath on her neck. She turned around to face her fiancé.

"I can't," Maura said with a smile. "I didn't lie. Gia did all of the actual lying. She actually helped a lot with this, hosting this engagement party so that I could get you here without lying. She also said that celebrating our engagement was the perfect way to celebrate her one-year anniversary as CEO," Maura added with a laugh. "Although, I think she said that more for my benefit than because she actually meant it."

"Nah," Gia said, jumping into their conversation. "I meant it. I totally would have lied though if that's what it took to get the two of you here."

All three of them laughed.

"You guys should get out of here," Gia told them. "We'll take care of getting everything cleaned up and everyone home safely."

"But people are still here?" Maura questioned. She did want to leave; she wanted to be alone with Jane, more than anything.

Gia shrugged. "We all like each other," she said. "Can you really tell me that both of you aren't itching to get out of here and be alone."

"Nope!" Jane answered quickly for both of them, causing both Gia and Maura to laugh. They quickly said their goodbyes, including another round of hugs. Angela promised to bring all their gifts home so that they wouldn't have to worry about anything.

Once they were in the hall alone, Maura turned and pulled Jane into a deep kiss. "I love you," she whispered, her eyes sparkling.

"I love you too," Jane replied.

"I got us a room for tonight," Maura added, reaching into her purse to pull out a key.

"That was a great idea," Jane said with a smile. "Let's go celebrate our future."

COMING SOON: The Wedding Party

Sequel to The Wedding Date. Maura and Jane are planning their wedding, but conflict is brewing within the wedding party. There's no question about whether or not Maura and Jane will get married, but will they decide to ditch the extravagant wedding they are currently trying to plan for a more low-key celebration with close friends and family – AND no wedding party? Established Rizzles.

This story will also draw on episodes from the series since the timeline will begin to overlap with early seasons.