The Boxer and The Doctor
Chapter 9, The Commitment Ceremony
A/N: After much consideration I decided to extend this story and include the commitment ceremony and future wedding. I have split the original Chapter 9 into two parts. About a quarter of the way down this chapter you will see *** that is where the new material is in case you don't want to read the previous material again. Chapter 10 now includes the destination wedding and their future. Their future did not change except I did say who carried the other babies. So, enjoy this now concluded story.
"That was more paperwork than I thought we would have to fill out with your lawyer." Jane told Maura as they sat and ate dinner together.
"Yes, it was a little more than power of attorneys. I also had him fill out paperwork to make you my legal next of kin in case something happens to me." Maura said.
"I'm fine with that, I just didn't know. We should have talked about that a little bit, but I understand your situation is quite different than mine. I have parents and brothers. Maur, I love you so much. I really am okay with the paperwork I signed. The only thing that makes me nervous is the medical power of attorney. I am glad we went through the situations for the advanced medical directive but it is still a little scary. I don't want to think of anything happening to you. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I would be so sad if something happened to you." Jane said with so much emotion that Maura moved over to hold her.
They hugged for quite a while when Maura said, "Jane if you could marry me would you marry me?"
Jane didn't hesitate to answer, "Yes, in a heartbeat I would marry you Dr. Maura Isles." Maura smiled that is all she needed to hear. She didn't need a piece of paper to feel married to Jane, although for health benefits and such it would be nice to have the same rights as other married couples.
"Jane would you be willing to participate in a commitment ceremony with me? It would sort of be like a wedding but not legal just between us and our friends and family, if we want them to witness it. We don't have to have witnesses if you don't want to. We already act like we are married. We live together and do everything a married couple does."
"Yes, I would be willing to do that as long as when it legal becomes possible for us to get married you marry me as soon as possible. Would you be willing to marry me when we are legally able to?"
"Yes, I will." Maura responded immediately. She didn't need to think about it, she had been thinking about it for a while already. She was just happy Jane was willing to commit to her. But then she knew that by Jane wanting her to have power of attorney for her, both general and medical and be listed as her next of kin.
"Okay let's have a commitment ceremony. Can we do it this weekend? We can just have everybody over and say vows to each other and sign a copy of our vows as a commitment to each other and then start planning what we would want for a real wedding. We can start saving for it. I know we don't know when it would be but that is fine. I feel committed to you already."
"Yes, that would be great. I will talk with your mother. She is going to be so thrilled. This weekend is short notice but if we don't have to have wedding style dresses and such than it is totally possible. I will just wear a nice dress and you can wear what you would like and we can say vows to each other in front of our family and friends. They are already planning on attending Sunday dinner so we can just add our commitment ceremony in before dinner."
"Maur, this is going to be great." Jane said as she kissed Maura.
That Sunday at 3 PM Maura walked down the make shift aisle in their backyard. She wore an off the shelf white simple wedding dress that Arianna had helped her pick out a few days earlier. Maura didn't know that many people and she had become fast friends with Arianna, which was really helpful right now. They were able to make alterations to the dress so that it would fit Maura's style a little better. Maura knew not to worry as they would have another wedding down the road when it became legal to marry in Massachusetts. She was hoping that it wouldn't be too long.
Arianna was her maid of honor and Angelo was Jane's Best Man. Jane wasn't a fan of dresses and Maura said it was fine she didn't have to wear a dress if she didn't want to. Maura only stipulated that she couldn't wear her Red Sox Jersey and jeans. Jane had said she would wear a tuxedo.
Jane and Angelo went to rent tuxedos for the big day at the same time that Maura and Arianna went dress shopping. If she had more time, she would have been able to get a woman's tuxedo. The clerk at the tuxedo shop knew the owner of one of the boutiques in town that specialized in women's tuxedos and he placed a call. They had several that they rented. Jane and Angelo went over there immediately after thanking the clerk and securing Angelo's tuxedo. Maura had given Angelo her credit card and said don't worry about the cost, just make it happen.
The attendant at the boutique was waiting for Jane to arrive. She had laid out several tuxedos based on the clerk's description of Jane's body. Jane was impressed. Angelo had told the attendant that they could purchase the tuxedo if alterations needed to be done. They just needed it by Saturday night as the ceremony was Sunday. The attendant nodded and went to retrieve the tuxedo that she thought Jane would look best in.
Jane tried on the tuxedo and it fit like a dream. It hugged her body in all the right places. Jane thought she looked beautiful in it. Angelo loved the look of it on Jane. He took a quick picture and sent it to Arianna. Arianna looked at the picture and text back, "Oh baby, that is gorgeous on Jane. I love it and think it is perfect. Please get it."
Angelo told Jane, "I think we found your tuxedo and with no alterations, it is perfect and you look so beautiful in it. Arianna approves."
"Angelo, she didn't show it to Maura did she?" Jane was a little worried, she didn't want Maura to see her tuxedo yet.
"No, Jane. She knows better than to share with Maura." Angelo said.
The attendant came by with a fancy pant suit and said, "Something like this would be perfect for the reception."
Jane looked at the pantsuit. It was beautiful and would be a great suit to wear after the ceremony for dinner with the family. Angelo sent a quick text to Arianna.
An: Is Maura changing after the wedding into another dress?
Ar: Yes, she has picked out another dress for the dinner.
An: Awesome, thanks babe.
Ar: You are welcome baby.
"Jane, I think we need to get the pantsuit. Maura has another dress lined up for the dinner so I think you should try it on and see how it fits." Angelo suggested and Jane took the pantsuit and went into the changing room to try it on.
When she came out both Angelo and the attendant smiled. Jane looked beautiful in the pantsuit. Angelo didn't even hesitate he leaned over to the attendant and said, "We will purchase the pantsuit and rent the tuxedo." She smiled at him and went to ring up the purchase and rental fees.
They walked out of the boutique twenty minutes later with the tuxedo and the pantsuit. They went back to the tuxedo shop to pick up Angelo's tuxedo that was now waiting for him. Everything was falling into place on Jane's side of the ceremony. All she had to do now was finish writing her vows. Angelo had stated that he was not good at writing vows and Arianna said she would help after she finished shopping with Maura and helping her write her vows.
Dress shopping with Maura was a fun adventure for Arianna. Maura shopped at all the trendy boutiques on Newberry Street. Arianna couldn't afford such luxuries so she had never been shopping on Newberry Street. Once they found a dress that Maura had deemed suitable for the ceremony with a few alterations and modifications they made a day out of their shopping adventure.
They shopped for a second dress for the reception. Arianna picked out her maid of honor dress and then they went shoe shopping. Maura told her, "We must have the correct shoes for our dresses." Arianna was just along for the ride, she was enjoying herself. The shoes Maura picked out for them cost way more than she ever would have paid for shoes. Maura said it was her treat and to think of it as a thank you for helping her out. Arianna insisted that she didn't need to do that but Maura won out, she was the bride after all and it was her day. She wanted to spoil her Maid of Honor. Who was Arianna to upset the bride, it was really not a nice thing to do before the ceremony. They both laughed. They were having a fun day. Maura knew Arianna was special and she was so glad that she agreed to stand up with her during the ceremony.
After their day of shopping, they went back to the house and worked on Maura's vows. Maura had a good idea of what she wanted to say so it didn't take them long. Angelo and Jane arrived after their shopping adventure and the four of them had a nice dinner together.
Angela was taking care of all of the preparations for dinner. She also made all of the phone calls to make sure that everyone would arrive early for dinner and be dressed up for the ceremony. The family was excited. They knew how much Jane and Maura cared about each other and were happy that they were having this commitment ceremony prior to the Rizzoli family dinner.
Everything remained pretty much the same for them as it had been. It wasn't a legal ceremony but they had met with the lawyer again to make sure that legally all financial and medical and general power of attorneys were in place. Maura wanted to make sure that Jane would be provided for if something happened to her. Jane had spoken with the lawyer prior to their visit and asked him to make sure everything was taken care of in case something happened to her. The lawyer assured both of them that everything was taken care of.
Jane hated not being able to see Maura on Sunday but they were trying to be as traditional as possible and acting as though this was a real wedding. The brides would not see each other before a wedding so Maura was holding Jane to that. Maura had wanted to make the day special for Jane so rather than have Jane spend the night with her mother she had Jane stay in the hotel's honeymoon suite that they would go to Sunday night after the ceremony. Arianna and Angelo stayed at the hotel with her. Maura had booked a suite for them and asked that it be right next door, if possible, she didn't want Jane to feel alone.
Frankie and Tommy were helping their mother with the dinner and room preparations. Angela had a friend make a wedding cake. She told Maura that she was not allowed to come downstairs until it was time for the ceremony. Arianna or Frankie would her anything she needed all she had to do was ask.
Maura being Maura was curious and Angela caught her several times trying to peek at what was happening downstairs. Angela just smiled she loved her girls but they were not the best at following her directions. They both wanted to know what was going on.
At 3 PM Jane escorted her mother down the aisle and took her position under the trees in the backyard for the ceremony to begin. Angelo escorted Arianna down the aisle and Angelo stood by Jane and Arianna stood across from them. Frankie hit play and a recording of the wedding march played as Maura walked down the make shift aisle that was set up from the backdoor to the trees where Jane was waiting for her.
Frank was acting as the officiant and stated, "We are all gathered here today to witness the commitment that Jane and Maura wish to make to each. We have all witnessed the love these two ladies have for each other. Because it is not legal for them to officially wed, they have agreed to make a commitment to each other that they will consider just as important as if this were an actual wedding. Jane had asked to go first so Jane please proceed."
Jane cleared her throat and said, "Maura, since the first day I met you, I knew you were special. Although we didn't meet in the best of circumstances, I am so happy I broke my nose that night. You treated me with such care and compassion and I flirted with you while you were trying to repair my broken nose and remove all the blood. I was a mess but I felt so happy. It was because of you. I was so happy when you agreed to have coffee with me and then go on a date with me. I had no idea you had never dated a woman before and I am so happy you were willing to try and have a relationship with me. You have been so important to me since that night and I want to spend the rest of my life showing you just how important you are to me. I love you Maura Isles and I would marry you in a heartbeat if I could but this is the best I can do for now so I pledge to love you, care for you and honor you for every day that I breathe. I pledge to be there for you in the good times, the bad times and the ugly times. I pledge to be by your side for the rest of my life. I love you."
Frank asked, "Maura, would you like to say a few words?"
"Yes Frank, thank you. Jane, wow what can I say. You were a breath of fresh air when you sat on that exam table and flirted with me. You didn't let any amount of pain deter you from speaking your mind. You had me smiling and enjoying our interaction. I have never smiled so much while fixing a broken nose. I knew then that there was something about you. you pulled me in and I wanted to spend more time with you. You asked me out for coffee and I said yes because I didn't want our time to end. We laughed and talked at the diner and when we got back to the hospital you asked me out and I said yes." Maura paused to take a deep breath.
"Yes, I had never dated a woman before but I didn't see you as a woman but rather as an a very interesting person that I was wildly attracted to. I mean I know you are a woman but that is not what I meant. What I meant is it didn't matter to me. The attraction was there, I could feel it and I still do. I love spending time with you and doing even the simple things like doing the dishes or cleaning the house, as long as we are together, I don't care what we are doing. I love it and I love you with all of my being. I pledge myself to you, through good times, bad times and as you say ugly times, although I hope we don't have any of those. I want to spend the rest of my life with you and yes when same sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts, I will legally marry you Jane Rizzoli because you are worth it, you are worth spending the rest of my life with. I commit myself to you for the rest of my life until the last breath has left my body."
Maura had tears running down her cheeks. Jane leaned in and wiped the tears away as Frank said, "Jane, do you commit your life to loving Maura?"
Jane didn't even hesitate to say, "Yes, I do." She had a huge smile on her face.
"Maura, do you commit your life to loving Jane?"
"Yes, I do." Maura said as she smiled back at Jane.
Frank continued, "Jane do you have a ring for Maura?"
"Yes, I do." Jane said as she pulled the ring out of her pocket and placed it on Maura's ring finger.
"Maura, do you have a ring for Jane?"
"Yes, I do." Arianna handed Maura the ring and she placed it on Jane's ring finger.
"Let these rings stand as a symbol of the commitment you two have made to each other here amongst your friends and family. We will all gather again to complete this ceremony when the State of Massachusetts legalizes it until then I wish to declare that you have committed yourselves to each other. You may kiss to seal your commitment to each other."
Jane stepped into Maura's personal space and kissed with her. She dipped Maura down and continued the kiss and then brought her back up. Everyone clapped and Frank whispered to Jane, "I forgot to ask are either of you changing your last names?"
"Ya pop, we will go by Rizzoli-Isles from now on." Jane whispered back.
Frank said, "I know present Dr. and Mrs. Rizzoli-Isles."
Everyone congratulated them as they made their way into the house to feast on dinner. Jane and Maura went upstairs to change into their dinner attire. Jane collapsed on the bed as soon as she entered the bedroom. Maura said, "Jane, we need to get changed and go back down for dinner."
"I know, I just wanted to take a minute. Lay with me for a minute!" Jane suggested as she looked at Maura.
"Okay let me slip out of this dress." Maura said as she reached around to undo the zipper on her dress. Maura slipped out of the dress and laid on the bed with Jane. She immediately snuggled up to Jane and Jane wrapped her arms around her.
"Maur, we are as married as we can be at this point in time." Jane said as she tightened her grip on Maura.
"I know I think it is great. I love you so much." Maura said as she kissed the side of Jane's neck.
"I love you too Maur, so very much. I am so thankful you took a chance on me." Jane said as she kissed the top of Maura's head.
"Always Jane. I will always take a chance on you." They both laughed and closed their eyes. They would enjoy a few minutes of peace and quiet.
"How long do you think we can get away with staying up here?" Jane asked.
"Not long maybe a few minutes and then your mother will be up here to see what is taking us so long." Maura responded knowing Angela would in fact do that.
"Ya, she would come barging into the room and get us. We should probably get dressed and go downstairs." Jane said as she thought about her Ma barging into their room.
"I know but I am so comfortable I don't want to move." Maura said as she snuggled tighter into Jane's side.
"Me either but we must. We can lay together at the hotel when we leave the dinner. So how about we go downstairs and eat dinner and then a short time later we can leave and then consummate this commitment?" Jane said as she winked at Maura.
"Sounds like a very enjoyable plan. I am looking forward to that." Maura said as she started to rise to get off of the bed.
They went back downstairs and Angela said, "I was about to send out the search party for you two, we have a houseful of people to celebrate your commitment to each other so go visit. Dinner will be ready in a few minutes."
They enjoyed a wonderful dinner with their family and friends and left about an hour later and went to the hotel. They had an afternoon flight for their honeymoon so they enjoyed their evening alone in the hotel before they had to check out and then go to the airport.
Jane and Maura had both taken a week off from work so they could go on a honeymoon. They had planned their trip together and were going to go to New York City and see all of the sights. Maura had been several times but it had been years. Jane had never been so she was looking forward to it. Maura had planned the whole trip all Jane had to do was pack.
They visited the Empire State Building, little Italy, China Town, The Statue of Liberty and several other sights of interest. The week was up way to fast and they had to return to Boston and go back to work. It was a great way to start their commitment to each other. The lawyer had all of their name change paperwork finalized upon their return. At work Jane would still go by Jane Rizzoli and Maura would go by Dr. Maura Isles but personally they were Jane Rizzoli-Isles and Maura Rizzoli-Isles.