Jane pounds on Maura's door. It's late, but she doesn't care.
"Maura, open the door."
The door opens, revealing Jack Armstrong. Jane's anger spikes, her vision clouded with red as her blood pressure skyrockets. Seeing Jack Armstrong again brought back bad memories of her standing on the sidelines while Maura dated someone else. She can feel her voice getting louder.
"Why the hell are you here?" Jane says to Jack's surprised face. He steps aside as Maura comes up to the door.
"Seriously, Maura? This guy? I spend my entire rainy day fund on flowers to apologize to you and you decide to get back with this one?"
Maura closes the door behind them, leaving Jack in her house.
"Jane, calm down. You have no right to be here yelling at this time of the night."
Jane ignores her. "You're right, Maura. It is late. Why the hell is he over right now?"
"That's none of your business, Jane," Maura says. She knows that it was the wrong thing to say when Jane starts moving towards the front door again. Maura holds her hands out, hoping to stop Jane before she does something she regrets. "Jane. Jane! Stop. Just take a deep breath, okay?"
Jane stands still in place. "Well? Are you going to answer my question?"
Maura stands her ground. "No, I'm not. As I said, it's none of your business. You made that pretty clear when you decided to walk away from me. From us. Did you forget that you're due to be in Virginia in a few weeks? For a new job? In an entirely different state, Jane?"
Jane had never seen Maura so riled up before. "I did that for you! So you could move on and forget about what happened between us, Maura. So no more Hoyts or Olivias or Sarahs can ever lay their hands on you again. It was for you! Don't make this out to be some selfish action on my part."
Maura's shaking now, with both the cold air and her emotions making her shiver. "I never asked you to. You made that decision without even asking how I felt about it. And now you're doing all these grand gestures to apologize or win me back, or God knows what. You either want me, or you don't, Jane. Make up your mind."
Jane reaches out for Maura's arm, pulling her in. She holds Maura close to her and feels Maura's breathe out against her face. "Before I do what I want to do next, Maura, I need to know why Jack is in your living room."
"He's picking up the rest of his stuff, Jane. He left in such a hurry when he moved with his daughter that some of his things were left behind. I had packed them into a box and planned to ship them back to him but we haven't spoken since the day he left. He just came to pick them up, that's all."
Jane searches Maura's eyes. "There's nothing between you guys?"
"No, Jane. That's long over. He was on his way out."
As Maura finishes her sentence, Jane presses their lips together in a passionate kiss. Intoxicated by how Maura tastes, she finds herself getting lost in Maura's soft, welcoming lips. Maura parts her mouth slightly, letting Jane's tongue enter as their bodies touch. Neither woman finds the willpower to pull away until they hear Jack clearing his throat behind them.
"Uh, sorry, ladies. I know it's getting late and I need to head out if I want to make it back home in time. I'm sorry for the interruption." He points towards the box sitting in his trunk. "Thanks for keeping my stuff for me, Maura." Looking back at the two women, he says, "About time, yeah?" before retreating to his car.
Jane pulls slightly away from Maura. "I'm really sorry that I lost my temper just now."
"Thank you for the apology. I understand why seeing Jack all of the sudden may have upset you." Maura is still holding on to Jane, not wanting to let go.
"I was jealous the whole time you dated him and I guess some unresolved feelings just came up. I'm sorry."
With a look of sympathy, Maura pulls Jane in. "I wish I had known that. I wouldn't have tried so hard to make you guys hang out together."
Jane strokes Maura's hair. "I should have told you how I felt earlier. We wouldn't be in this mess right now." Jane's voice quivers. "You're leaving, Maura? Why?"
It takes Maura a moment to figure out what Jane is talking about. "It's just a short trip to Paris so I can focus on writing and myself for some time. You are leaving anyway, so does it matter?"
Jane knows that she had no right to be upset with Maura considering she was the one who left first. "I'm glad you're taking some time for yourself. It's been a really hard year."
A shiver runs through Maura, making her wrap her arms around herself for warmth. "It's getting late and it's really cold out here, Jane. We should get some rest. Frankie and Nina have their rehearsal dinner tomorrow."
Jane knows that Maura is right. They both had important roles in the wedding and Jane wanted to make sure that their special day went smoothly. "Yeah. You're right. I'll see you tomorrow, okay? Can we talk then?"
"Yes, if you want. Goodnight, Jane."
Jane watches as Maura goes back inside, standing outside until she sees Maura's bedroom light turn on through her window.
Nina never imagined that this day would come. She had spent so many years imagining herself marrying Arthur that when he passed away, she had abandoned the thought of marriage altogether. The day she met Frankie Rizzoli, the wall that she had put up had begun to chip away, piece by piece. He was a breath of fresh air and not only was he someone that Nina found herself confiding in, but also one who lightened up the mood sometimes in the midst of a dark case. Frankie treated her like a queen while also respecting her identity as a strong and creative detective. Her mother had loved him, instantly taking a liking to him despite having hated all of her other boyfriends.
As Nina's mother holds her daughter, both of them are crying. They pull away, dabbing at their eyes carefully so as to not ruin the makeup that the artists have labored over for the last two hours. Nina's natural curls frame her beautiful face and a hint of pink eyeshadow enhanced her luscious eyelashes. In the front of a three-panel mirror, Nina and her mother gaze at their reflections with teary-eyed smiles. Nina's dress was a floor-length gown, with lace patterning over a see-through layer. A thin veil flowed down her back and was secured to her hair with gold beads that resembled a flower. Her grandmother's necklace, a single, white pearl that matched the color of her dress, hung around her neck. Nina reads over her vows one last time and tucks them inside her dress as she takes a deep breath.
There is a knock at the entrance to the bridal suite. "Nina? Are you ready for your first look?" The photographer's voice comes through the door, and Nina's mother gives her a reassuring smile.
"You look beautiful, Nina. He is going to love it."
As Nina and the photographer make their way to the garden outside, Frankie is shifting nervously from his left foot to his right.
"Relax, Frankie. She looks amazing and everything will go smoothly. You're making me nervous with all your moving around," Jane says. The suit that she bought with Maura fit her even better after Maura had taken it to the tailors. Frankie looked equally as sharp, in a velvet three-piece tuxedo. His leather loafers matched the darkness of the suit and his bow tie, and he looked handsome.
Frankie looks up, smiling. "You've seen her today?"
"Yeah, I stopped by the bridal suite to drop something off for her earlier this morning. She is breathtaking. I am so happy for you two."
Frankie slows his breathing down. "Thanks, Janie. It means a lot that you're here with me."
Jane walks up to her brother, giving him an affectionate pat on his cheek. "Love you to death, Francesco. Good luck." As she walks down the stone path out of the garden, Jane decides to stop by the bridal suite to see if she can find Maura. Jane approaches the suite, hearing overlapping voices as the bridesmaids clamor to finish getting ready. She knocks on the door, announcing her arrival before walking into the smell of hairspray and burnt hair. Jane can feel the bridesmaids ogling her, fully aware of the effect that her in a suit would have on other women.
"Have you seen Maura?" Jane asks the group.
A voice behind her answers, which Jane instantly recognizes as Maura's.
"I'm here, Jane."
Jane turns around, feeling her heart flutter as she takes in the woman before her. Maura was dressed in the same dress that all of the other bridesmaids were wearing, but she stood out. The steel blue of the dress brought out the gold specks in Maura's eyes, and the bracelets on her arms made her look as if she were glowing. Even with tan, ankle strap heels, Maura still stood several inches shorter than Jane. Maura's hair was wavy, instead of the usual curls that surrounded her stunning face. Her makeup highlighted her fantastic bone structure, from her tall nose to her sharp jawline. With a touch of blush and light red lipstick, Maura looked like a dream.
"Maura," Jane breathes.
At the sight of Jane, all Maura can think about is the last time that they kissed. How warmth had spread throughout Maura's body from her chest, the way Jane's lips had made Maura feel dizzy as she tasted Jane. Every caress, every gasp, and every breath had been pure ecstasy as sparks flew between the two women.
She pulls Jane out of the room, conscious of the audience that they had while inside.
"Is everything alright? Does Nina need something?" Maura asks, concerned that something may have happened to Nina's dress or makeup.
"Everything is good. I just came by to talk to you," Jane says as she comes out of the daze that seeing Maura in that dress has put her in.
Breathing a sigh of relief, Maura says, "Oh, good. I've been stressed out all morning fussing over Nina while getting myself ready as well."
Jane laughs, not the slightest bit surprised that Maura is taking her responsibilities as maid of honor very seriously. She puts her hand on Maura's arm, willing her to calm down a little.
"Don't worry, Maura. It is going so well. They're doing their first look now and then we will do some more photos before the ceremony begins."
Maura leans into Jane's touch, finding comfort in it before she remembers that Jane had come for a reason. "What did you want to talk about?"
"Just wanted to see how you were doing and also see you before things got a little crazy. I know we left things off at a weird spot last night and I wanted to make sure you were doing okay," Jane replies, her voice laced with concern.
Touched that Jane had thought to check up on her, Maura wants to kiss the woman in front of her even more. "I'm doing okay. I appreciate you worrying about me."
"Of course." Jane stares at Maura, not sure how to phrase things. "Do you really have to go, Maur?"
Maura looks right at Jane. "Do you?"
Jane bits her lips, looking at the space behind Maura. "I don't want to leave."
"Then don't, Jane. You're a grown woman. Figure something out," Maura says as she realizes how harsh her words sound. "You know how I feel about you. If you leave, the message that you will be sending will be loud and clear and whatever is happening between us right now, well that will be over."
When Jane is silent, Maura decides to follow it up with, "I need you to understand how serious this decision is. If you run away from your entire life, including me, your family, and your department, I will have no choice but to mourn my loss and attempt to move on." Maura knew that she would never be able to move on, but she wanted Jane to comprehend the gravity behind her choice.
"I know, Maura. I get it."
"Do you? Because it sounds to me like you're still leaving in a couple of weeks."
Jane makes eye contact with Maura again. "You know that I have to do this, Maur."
The finality behind Jane's tone makes Maura want to drop to her knees and weep. "Fine."
Before either woman can say another word, the photographer appears again. "Ladies, would you mind gathering the bridesmaids and groomsmen so we can take some photos?"
"Yeah," Jane calls back to the photographer without taking her eyes off Maura.
Walking in separate directions to each of their respective suites, Jane and Maura put distance between them, both physically and emotionally.