Captain Blues: Ahoy! Captain Blues of the SS ProtoBreakman is here and I have arrived for more Rizzoli and Isles for A Mother's Love So let's continue. Enjoy the show!
A Mother's Love
Chapter Nine: Of Spying and Feelings (The Date Part 2)
"Our waiter will be with you two ladies shortly," Charlotte said as Jane and Maura sat down at their table. Thankfully, the table they were taken to was far enough away where Angela and Constance wouldn't be able to spot them but it was close enough where they could observe them.
"Jane, tell me what you are looking for on this mission of yours," Maura said once they were fully settled in their seats. Jane leaned forward, her elbows on the table with a grin.
"So, ever since I "woke" up two days ago, I've been noticing things," Jane told her excitedly, her eyes gleaming in mischief. "It's subtle however. For example, when I was telling Constance and Ma about our fallout, Constance got really mad at one point and my mom grabbed her hand and it was like the anger vanished. Which is normal but…"
Jane paused and took a sip of the glass of water to her left then continued her explanation. "Well…The entire time they kept holding hands and all throughout, there were little glances that they would do."
Maura hummed in thought as she leaned back in her chair, her eyes locked on her excited paramour.
No. She shouldn't think of Jane like that.
She didn't deserve to call Jane her paramour.
Maura pushed the sadness from her mind. She needed to focus on now and worry about herself later. "That could just be Angela being a pillar of support to my mother during her trying time?" Maura suggested.
"Oh no Maur, there is so much more," Jane responded as her grin widened. "So after Ma and I left that asshole that used to be my father, Ma had fallen asleep and guess who calls her?"
"Who?" Maura asked with humor in her voice.
"Constance. And guess what? She sounded so nervous when she told me about the dinner reservation. Like…Almost teenager like," Jane answered.
Now Maura was curious. Her mother rarely sounded nervous. It was so rare in fact, she couldn't remember the last time she was nervous. "Nervous how?" Maura questioned.
"Oh she was stuttering and hesitant and so unsure of herself. Now to flip over to Ma. Ma had told me some deep, dank stuff and she was feeling sad but I told her she should look her best for her get together with Constance, and like your mom, she got so nervous, it was almost cute," Jane explained.
"But why would they be so nervous with one another? They had spoken before and we all even ate out together," Maura said, more to herself than to Jane.
"I know and yet anytime I heard one speak about the other, they would get all flustered. Hell, thinking back on when they met, didn't you notice the looks they were trading one another?" Jane asked her.
Maura's eyebrows furrowed in thought.
She was so nervous about her mother during that time that she wouldn't have noticed anything amiss so Maura shook her head. "Ah damn," Jane swore lightheartedly. "Ah well. Anyways, Constance more or less proved my theory when we were walking back to Ma's place. Basically, she was trying to find out what they had in common and was worried it wouldn't be anything but Maur, nothing could show more proof than when she saw Ma. It was like her heart skipped a beat."
"That would mean she was having some serious health problems if her heart actually skipped a beat Jane," Maura instantly replied. "A replacement for that phrase would be "Her heart fluttered" since hearts do flutter from time to time and these type of arrhythmias are generally harmless and may have no discernable cause at all."
Jane paused and stared at her a moment and Maura could see the affection in Jane's eyes. "I missed you," Jane breathed out softly. Maura flushed in response, the feeling of self-loathing for the pain she caused Jane giving way to her own love for the woman across from her.
"Anyways Google-Mouth," Jane continued with an affectionate tone. "I could see her heart fluttering at the sight but she was practically shaking due to how nervous she was. I literally had to coach her on how to breathe again."
Now Maura was surprised.
That was so unlike her mother.
"But she recovered and manage to make Ma blush and boy did she look victorious when she did it. So, now that we are he-" Jane suddenly turned her head briefly and her grin was back in full force. "Hey Maura, hurry up and look at them," Jane told her.
Maura turned around to see Constance place her hand on top of Jane's and then Maura saw an expression she had only seen once in her life appear on her face.
Adoration.
"Oh my…" Maura whispered in disbelief.
This feeling of disbelief was quickly shattered when Jane laughed at the older pair being startled by the waiter. "Jane, be nice," Maura admonished as she turned to the detective, who tried to look like a wounded puppy but the small upturn of the corner of her lips give her away.
Maura shook her head with a chuckle.
"What am I going to do with you?" Maura asked with an amused tone.
"Hopefully a lot," Jane replied cheekily but there was a warmth in her voice that made Maura nearly melt but once again, the feeling of self-loathing filled her heart and mind once again.
"Jane…I…" Maura tried to start but Jane reached over and took Maura's hand and leaned over the table to kiss the back of it.
"Relax…It is okay," Jane told her, her eyes showing understanding.
Maura allowed herself to smile.
"Hello, I'm Stephan and I'll be your waiter this evening," A voice said from beside them, which caused them to jump in surprise and look to the man.
"Dude, Can you not do that?!" Jane exclaimed.
Maura let out a laugh.
She always told Jane that karma always worked swift.
Constance stopped mid-sentence and looked around curiously.
"What is it?" She heard Angela question.
"I could have sworn I heard Jane…." Constance answered before she shrugged and took her mind off of one Rizzoli and turned her attention back to the Rizzoli in front of her. "But speaking Jane, My daughter slept with her last night."
"Yes, Jane told me of this. They kind of jumped ahead of our plans," Angela said with wry grin as she sipped her wine. "Just like Jane. You could plan something for months only for her to make an unpredictable move and send you back to square one."
"Maura is the same way I'm afraid. Our kids are impatient," Constance stated with an amused smile but then she blinked.
Our kids.
Why did that give her such a warm feeling?
"W-Well," Constance stammered out before she cleared her throat, needing to get back on topic. "From what I saw when Jane stopped by to walk with me, they seemed to be on the right track but I could tell there is some sort of residual feelings regarding everything," Constance told her. "Which I know is coming from Maura. She wishes for us to see Paddy."
"She wants you to see Paddy Doyle?" Angela whispered in alarm.
"Us," Constance corrected softly. "She wants you and I to come with her to see Paddy."
Constance saw confusion cross Angela's face and quickly explained with "It is my fault. She wants to get closure from Paddy and find out if he was going to shoot Jane that day and to gather more information about her biological mother and I foolishly suggested for you and I to accompany her."
"And she agreed with that?" Angela asked her.
"She was ecstatic," Constance answered. "You have to understand Angela, Maura sees you as a parental unit, similar to myself due to being around for her when she needed you unlike myself. It is completely understandable and if I could ask for anyone to be that for her, it would be you."
Constance was surprised by her own admission. She was expecting to have some sort of resentment in telling Angela this but there was a feeling of warmth when she said it.
"I…I don't know what to say," Angela admitted softly. "I do care for Maura like my own daughter but I could never replace you Constance and I don't want to." Angela then gave her a dazzling smile and said "So if you are her mother and she cares for me like one then I'd rather us both be there for our child."
Constance let out a gentle breath as her heart fluttered at those words.
There was that word again.
Our.
That word seemed so loaded but it felt so right to her.
She glanced at Angela and saw her look away briefly but Constance could see the reddening of her cheeks and for a moment, Constance felt emboldened by this but quickly stamped it down.
What in the world was she doing?
Constance always had control of her emotions and when something would happen, she would understand why she was feeling that way and yet, ever since her partnership with Angela, the emotions she has been feeling lately has confused her greatly.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Angela questioned.
Constance blinked twice then shook her head. "I am puzzled," she admitted with furrowed brows. "I am usually in control of everything but since you and I began this partnership, I've been out of sorts."
"What do you mean?" Angela questioned, her tone soft.
Constance suddenly felt embarrassed but she swallowed that feeling down, along with a sip of whine, and explained with "I feel different when I am with you. I wish I could explain it more but….I am struggling to find the words admittedly."
"Is it a bad sort of different?" Angela asked.
Constance could hear the worry in Angela's voice and immediately reached across the table to take her hand. "No…It's a wonderful sort of different," Constance told her truthfully. "I just wish I could understand it more so I could verbalize it better."
She stared into Angela's eyes and could see a myriad of emotions swirling in them but with a blink, they were gone. She watched as Angela gave a small, soft smile that seemed to draw Constance in. "I know how you feel," Angela replied. "I've been feeling the same thing…Ever since we met."
Constance let out a breath she didn't know she had.
"I wish I could verbalize it better than that but…Maybe we can explore this unknown feeling together?" Angela suggested with such a tenderness, it took Constance aback.
Something just happened.
What has just happened?
And why did she feel so happy about it?
"I'd like that," Constance replied, shocking herself from how tender her own voice sounded.
"We're actually watching our moms fall in love in real time," Jane commented softly.
Maura turned away from the surprisingly tender looked shared between Angela and her mother to glance at Jane and saw that she had a warm smile on her face. Maura didn't understand why Jane was so invested in Constance and Angela but there seemed to be something that she was missing.
But as she turned back to her mother's table, she couldn't help but let herself smile. Her mother had been miserable since her father cheated on her and left and Angela had confided in her about the pain she was going through regarding Frank and the divorce hearing so it made her happy to the two turn to each other.
But still…
"How did this happen?" Maura questioned, more to herself than to Jane. "What led them down this path?"
"I think it was us," Jane answered. "Mom overhead our argument that day and I guess she enlisted Constance to help. Constance was there when I "woke" up and that's when I told her everything. I guess somewhere down the line, feelings occurred."
"I see…" Maura murmured thoughtfully. "Do you think they would have found each other had we not have fought?"
"I don't know," Jane answered. "Ma…She has a lot of secrets. Things she wouldn't tell anyone. I just happened to find out today about them but I think eventually, it would have all led up to them being together…"
Jane drifted off, a thoughtful expression on her face. "If what we are seeing is true and they are falling in love, Ma wouldn't put herself out there like that again and knowing Constance, she may not either…If nothing happens, why don't we um…Push that along? I know it's weird when we have…Our issues but they both deserve to be happy. The same way we will, right?"
Maura looked at Jane for what seemed like an eternity before she nodded. She wanted her and Jane to be happy and she wanted Angela and her mother's budding emotions to flourish so they could bask in it together.
"We'll have a lot on our plate," Maura told her with a soft look. "But I want everything to work out. For us and for them. They came together because of us. It's only right for us to bring them together for good."
While Maura was unsure if Jane's smile could brighten a room, she knew with 100% certainty that it did brighten up her soul.
And that was one of the many reasons she loved her.
Captain Blues: And that is all she wrote for this chapter my friends. So what did you guys think of this chapter. I hope I did Rain justice with how this date went. The next chapter will involve Paddy and that will be dramatic. Meanwhile, Jane is meeting with her brothers? Time to set sail. Until we met again!