Jane sighed for what seemed like the hundredth time this afternoon. It was driving Frost crazy, but he decided to cut the woman some slack. After all, she had just survived a one-way ticket to hell. It wasn't until Jane started tapping her pen that he decided to speak up. He leans forward, knocking his knuckles on the wooden part of Jane's desk.
"Jane, you gotta cut it out. I can't focus."
Jane looks up, her hand freezing halfway in the air. "Sorry, Frost. I didn't realize I was being so obnoxious."
Barry almost feels bad that he brought it up. "Don't worry about it. What are you doing here anyway? You're not cleared yet, are you?"
Jane shakes her head. She didn't want to tell him about how bored she was at home without Maura anymore.
"What would you want for a bachelor's party?" She asks out of the blue.
Frost makes a weird face. "Frankie is having you plan that? Isn't that awkward for you? You know, considering that these parties typically have strippers and stuff?"
Jane shrugs. "It's not that weird. I don't mind. Plus, Tommy isn't responsible enough. If it were up to him, Frankie would end up on the side of a road with a $50,000 debt to his name."
Seeing the validity of her argument, Frost hums his agreement. "Well, I would want the works. Strippers, gambling, drinking, sexy ass women in sexy ass cars."
Jane grins, throwing the pen at his head. "This is my brother, Frost. I want him to still have a fiancé at the end of this thing."
Frost catches the pen, sending it back to Jane's face. "Fine. In that case, how about renting out Fenway Park? You guys could get a tour of the whole place and hit a few balls across the stadium. It would be a dream come true."
"That's not a bad idea, Frost. I just need half a million dollars to rent the place out for a night."
"Maybe not," Frost says. He pulls his phone out, dialing a number and holding a finger up as the line rings. "Let me make a quick call."
Maura feels silly. She felt completely out of place, with zero idea of how to host a bachelorette party. Maura has been on Google for the last hour, reading articles and blogs about people's experiences. From what she has gathered, a typical bachelorette party includes drinking, bonding, photos, and the occasional male stripper. Maura had no idea how people found that enjoyable. To her, it sounded like a medieval torture method. She was honored that Nina chose her to be a maid of honor, but she was worried that she would let Nina down in the process. Booking five round-trip tickets to Vegas, Maura decides to make this trip one for the books. They're staying at the Mandalay Bay, where 2,700 tons of real sand would be available for them to tan and drink on a man-made beach. Nina had declined Maura's offer several times, but Maura had insisted, wanting to welcome Nina to the family with a show of generosity. As her mind wanders back to Jane, Maura wonders what the woman has in store for her brother's bachelor party. She thinks about how Jane will be around strippers and tries not to feel jealous, failing miserably.
Angela could not believe it. Her baby boy, Frank Rizzoli, was getting hitched. She had always worried about her kids, worried that her marriage with Frank Senior had set a bad example for them about what a marriage should look like. They had some good years, but when Frank Senior decided to chase his demons away with alcohol, it had all come crumbling down. He had turned into a bitter, old man who had embarrassed the family name many times in the last few years. From having sex with a woman half his age to bastardizing his children while committing tax fraud, Angela had enough of his antics. When Frankie and Nina had announced their engagement, she had jumped for joy and shouted "Hallelujah!"
She knows that she must have done something right, seeing the way that Frankie treated Nina with respect, admiration, and devotion. He was the more sentimental one out of the three, always the first to cry when something made him sad. When their family dog had died, Frankie had slept on the floor next to the dog bed for weeks, crying himself to sleep every night. Tommy had acted out, earning himself more time out than usual. And her oldest, Jane. Jane had put on a strong face, telling Frankie to grow up while she pushed Tommy around when he didn't listen. She was always the one to push her own feelings down while taking care of those around her. What Jane didn't know though, was all the times Angela heard her crying in the bathroom at night when she thought everyone else had gone to bed. Jane was the one Angela worried about most in terms of finding love. She knew that whoever ended up with Jane would have to be someone incredibly strong, patient, and thoughtful. It was about time that someone took care of Jane the way she looked out for everyone else.
Perhaps Jane was afraid of how Angela would react, but Jane had refrained from telling Angela how she felt about Maura. Angela wasn't stupid, however. She saw the way Jane looked at Maura, the way she softened her voice when speaking with her, and the way her body relaxed when Maura was around. Maura complemented Jane's personality well and the two women had incredible chemistry both at work and outside of work. Thus, Angela had waited patiently. For once, she stopped herself from putting her nose where it didn't belong and decided to let the two women work things out for themselves. After all, it was their future at stake.
In terms of her own love life, Angela was over the moon. She had left her divorce a broken woman, not sure who she was if she wasn't Frank's wife or her kids' mom, Mrs. Rizzoli. The last several years, she had explored what it felt like to just be Angela again. And it was freeing. Sean had respected her, giving her autonomy and loving her in a way that wasn't restrictive. He made her feel desired and also respected her when she wanted some space to just be her own woman. Angela wasn't sure if she would ever marry again, but if she would, Sean wasn't a bad option. She knows that Maura is avoiding her, which saddens her. Her daughter was being the typical stubborn and hard-headed Rizzoli that she was, announcing her decision to move hours away without considering how anyone else would feel. Jane had enough decency to tell Angela first, but didn't leave much room for discussion once Angela was aware. Angela sighs as she wipes down the counter at the Dirty Robber. There was only so much she could do.
The plane ride to Virginia was short, giving Jane just enough time to take a short nap. She was nervous to meet her new colleagues and her supervisor, wanting to impress them during their first meeting. She felt a little bit like a rookie in the big leagues, punching above her weight with the Feds. With her plane in the air, Jane was grateful that she didn't have cell service. It meant that she would finally stop checking for a text from Maura that would never arrive. With peace of mind, she falls asleep swiftly, only waking upon the feeling of the plane's tires making contact with the ground. She looks for a man by the name of Agent Davies upon her arrival, as he had arranged to pick her up.
A tall man with a sharp jaw stood waiting outside of the pickup area. He was dressed in a suit that Jane instantly recognized was an FBI standard suit, allowing Jane to pick him out from the crowd immediately. He greets her with a wide smile and his angular face matches his toned body.
"Great work, detective. Guess those skills of yours come in handy, don't they?"
Jane smiles politely and extends her hand. "Agent Davies, hi. Thank you for picking me up."
He shakes her hand, holding it for a second too long. "Please, call me Cameron. We are going to get to know each other really well in the next few days so please feel free to be casual."
Jane nods, reaching behind her for her luggage. "Got it," she says as she follows Agent Davies to his car. He opens the door for her and she thanks him, not knowing when the last time someone did that for her. They head for her hotel and Jane gets ready for the dinner that they had planned with the rest of the faculty. Jane sends a quick text to her mother, updating Angela with a picture of Jane posing next to the academy's buildings.
The dinner had gone smoothly, with Jane only stumbling once in her heels. She had chosen a sleek, black dress that showed off one of her shoulders, noticing how Agent Davies had stared at her. They had made their rounds with the faculty as Agent Davies introduced her. Some of them had recognized her from the news and commended her heroism, while the others were polite and made small talk. She was exhausted at the end of the night, wanting nothing more than a hot bath and a frosty beer. Agent Davies had offered his arm to her as they walked back out to his car, ready to turn in for the night.
"Care for a nightcap, Detective Rizzoli?"
Jane knew what he was trying to do and she declined, thinking about how much she misses Maura instead.
"No, thank you. I'm a little too tired and jet lagged. I'll see you bright and early for breakfast tomorrow morning though?"
Davies had given her another big smile. "Looking forward to it, Jane."
Closing the door, Jane falls into bed and almost gives into calling Maura. She missed the other woman's voice, wanting to tell Maura and Maura alone about her day.
The white ball hops over the tiny wooden dividers as the spinning circle comes to a rest. The black and red blend together as the crowd around them watches as the ball goes around and around. Maura had placed a bet on black and Nina had placed a bet on the red. As the two women hold hands in support of each other, Nina squeals as the ball lands on the red divider. Maura throws her hands up in celebration for her friend and the other women jump up and down, crowding Nina. As Maura congratulates Nina, she sees a woman amongst the crowd smiling at her.
"I know you let her win," the woman says as she saunters up to Maura.
Maura is hesitant to flirt with others now, keeping in mind how her and Olivia came to be. However, she is impressed that this woman had caught on.
"She's getting married. I figured she could use the money towards her honeymoon. She's been rambling about constructing an algorithm to increase her odds of winning one of those honeymoon giveaways," Maura says before stopping herself. "I'm sorry, I'm probably rambling."
The other woman extends her hand. "Rachael. And don't be sorry. You have a lovely voice."
Maura continues to keep her distance from the woman, hesitant to continue interacting with her. However, she is polite enough to shake the woman's hand. "How did you figure it out?"
"You're not a very good liar. I see those hives creeping up your neck," the other woman whispers as she grabs her clutch, turning to leave. "Good luck!" She winks before walking away.
It has been a while since a woman had flirted with Maura, and she missed those days where she could openly flirt back without wondering if the other person was a serial killer. She missed Jane and the way their playful banter managed to make everything better.
Maura begins to feel lonely knowing that she will have to become accustomed to life without Jane now. The other women had plans to go out to a club tonight, but Maura declined, thinking about how nice a night in sounded. Maura's hotel bed and the latest scientific journal publication were calling her name and Nina understood. She had been so appreciative of all that Maura had done, even breaking down to cry tears of gratitude after a little too much tequila. With her iPad next to her and a glass of wine courtesy of room service, Maura had settled in for an enjoyable night. As soft jazz plays in the background, Maura begins to feel sleepy.
She falls asleep with the light on, dreaming of Jane.