"Hey you with the pretty face, welcome to the human race." - Electric Light Orchestra

Maura awoke the next morning at 6:30 and swiftly went about her routine. She stretched, dressed, and fed Bass. After eating breakfast she began carefully styling her hair. She deftly weaved the front into a neat crown braid and pinned it into place. Throwing on her rubber gardening boots and a sun hat, she made her way outside at exactly 7:15.

The Isles estate was a ten and a half acre property consisting of manicured lawns, palatial trees, and a small pond. Next to the mansion was a large garage containing the family's four cars, which were polished to a shine every morning by Samuel. The back of the house held an expansive brick patio and entertainment space, complete with a pool, a hot tub, and a grand fire pit. The patio overlooked an acre's worth of lawn, beyond which lay the 50 square foot plot that was Maura's precious garden. To the side of her garden sat a tool shed and large dog house for Bass. A full two acres behind the main villa lay a much smaller house intended for the groundskeepers, and the shed where the equipment was stored. All in all, the Isles estate was one of the most expansive and enriched properties in Old Greenwich, and had been in her father's family for generations.

Making her way across the back lawn, Maura spotted Wade, their previous groundskeeper, speaking with two strangers. She took a deep breath, gathering her courage. She could do this. As she approached, Wade straightened up immediately.

"Miss Isles, good morning," the burly man greeted pleasantly.

"Good morning, Wade," Maura replied, and she was proud that her voice only trembled slightly. Wade quickly turned and gestured to the man and woman standing next to him.

"This is Tommy and Jane Rizzoli, they're going to be taking care of the property now that I'm leaving. Tommy, Jane, this is Miss Maura Isles, Mrs. Doyle's daughter."

"It's a pleasure to meet you both," Maura said politely. She studied both of them carefully as she shook their hands.

Tommy was tall and handsome, with bright blue eyes and a three-day beard. He seemed charming in a mischievous way. The woman, Jane, wasn't quite so tall, but she still stood a good five inches above Maura. She had dark features and a sharp jawline that gave her a striking appearance. Perceptive brown eyes calmly met Maura's green ones as they shook hands, and the blonde quickly looked away.

"Ah. Are you, uh. Are you two married?" she asked, deciding to address the friendlier looking Tommy. The man abruptly let out a boisterous laugh, and Maura almost jumped.

"No, no" he said, giving a lopsided grin. "We're brother and sister. I'm pretty sure if anybody was married to Jane, they'd be committed to a facility." The man adeptly side stepped a smack from his sister, smile only getting wider. Maura simply blinked at the exchange, predictably confused.

"A...facility? For what?" The tall man's grin faltered as he tilted his head, raising an eyebrow inquisitively. Wade looked between the two uncomfortably.

"You know, like a mental facility," Tommy explained. "Because she drives people nuts." Maura mentally panicked, still confused.

"Oh I see," she said, smiling uneasily. "That is funny." The taller man gave her a strange look, but said nothing else. Wade quickly interjected.

"I was just telling them how important your garden is, and how they must be very careful to follow your instructions."

Maura quickly followed his lead. "Yes, yes, that's what I wished to talk to you two about." She chanced a look at the intimidating woman, who was listening attentively. Breathe. Get your point across.

"I take care of nearly all aspects of the garden, including watering, pruning, and planting. There are 37 different varieties of plants and they all have very different, specific needs. So it's very important that you don't touch anything you're not supposed to." At this, Maura managed to sound stern.

Wade visibly tensed next to her, presumably remembering the time he had taken it upon himself to weed the Dandelions growing in the corner of the garden. Little did he know she had been growing them for their vitamins, and she had given him quite the earful on how weeds were not inherently bad.

"The only thing you need to do is trim the grass and green growth on the outside of the garden borders," Maura ordered. "Be very careful to maintain those borders. Please. When certain plants fruit, I may also request your help in picking and harvesting, if you're able."

Tommy nodded. "Sure, no problem," he said, giving her a genuine smile. Maura could tell he smiled a lot. Looking to the woman, Jane, Maura was surprised to see the faint traces of...was it amusement in her eyes? Still, she said nothing.

With the important business taken care of, Maura thanked them all and excused herself, quickly heading to the garden. That had gone well. She felt her chest swell with pride at the small interaction.

She opened her tool shed and began her real task for the day. She had to lay down fertile soil to plant the Witch Hazel in. Large bags of planting soil were stacked neatly in the corner, and she figured she was strong enough to wheel out two at a time in her wheelbarrow. Once she finished preparing the Witch Hazel patch, she could conceivably get the plants in the ground by the end of the day. Just the thought of it made her grin.

She dragged her yellow wheelbarrow out of the shed, but was quickly dismayed to find it would not stay upright. She bent to inspect the wheel and cursed. The wheel axle had partially broken off, and the wheel was thus crooked. She had no idea how to fix it, and without her wheelbarrow, moving the soil bags would become extremely difficult.

Biting her lip in frustration, the strawberry blonde pondered for a few moments. She did not want to wait to plant the Witch Hazel. She was just going to have to drag the soil bags the whole way. Sighing, she proceeded to grab the corners of a bag, tugging it off the pile. Before she could begin her slow trek into the garden, however, she was startled by an amused voice.

"Would you like some help with those?" Maura almost fell over as she snapped towards the sound. The woman, Jane, was standing near her shed, watching her curiously.

"I uh...I...what?" Maura's brain was a whirl of panic. Jane casually approached, pointing to the soil bags. "I saw that your wheelbarrow was broken. I hope you're not intending on dragging those bags. That's super bad for your back." At this, the brunette frowned slightly.

Maura licked her lips, looking from the bag to the woman and back again. She had no idea what she was supposed to say.

"I really want to plant my Witch Hazel," she finally managed, as if this answered her question.

Jane flashed a toothy grin. "Well, we better get this soil out there then," she chuckled. In one swift movement, the taller woman slung the heavy bag up onto her shoulder and began striding towards the garden. Maura blinked, momentarily astonished by the other woman's actions. What was she supposed to do next?

Maura hurried after the brunette. "The uh, the Witch Hazel patch is going to be over there," she said, pointing towards the south east end of the garden. Jane nodded and followed Maura towards the spot, easily shouldering the weight of the soil bag. Maura did her best not to stare at the other woman's well-defined arms. Her strength was quite impressive.

When they finally reached the Witch Hazel patch, Jane let down the bag and straightened up. "Do you want me to bring the rest of them?" the brunette asked. Maura wrung her hands awkwardly.

"Yes, please, that would be great."

"Sure." With that, the woman began retrieving the other bags. Maura nervously began the task of spreading the new soil evenly, watching Jane out of the corner of her eye. After the tall women had transported all the bags, she flashed Maura a kind smile. "You know I could fix that wheelbarrow for you, if you want."

Maura wiped soil off her hands. "Could you really?"

Jane shrugged nonchalantly. "Sure. That's kind of my thing, fixing stuff. Motorcycles, tractors, washing machines. Wheelbarrows." She flashed a dimpled grin. "My Pop used to be a mechanic, so I learned a ton from him."

Maura raised her eyebrows, impressed. She tried to imagine what her Mother would say if she had expressed interest in learning such things. The woman was barely able to tolerate her daughter's obsession with gardening. Oh Maura, you are a lady. Those are things men do, and poor men at that. You should really be interested in things that reflect your standing. The strawberry blonde smiled.

"What?" Jane said, quirking an eyebrow at Maura's expression.

"Oh, nothing, it's just that...well. I've never known a woman who could do those things," Maura said shyly.

Jane snorted, shoving her hands into jean pockets. "Yeah, I've heard that before."

"I mean, I'd love it if you could fix my wheelbarrow. Thank you very much," Maura added quickly, not wanting the other woman to be offended.

"Not a problem. I'll get on that as soon as I can."

Maura smiled warmly at Jane, pleased at how easy the conversation seemed to be going.

"So, what's the deal with the garden?" the brunette questioned, glancing at the many flowers surrounding them. "Have you always loved plants?"

The strawberry blonde suddenly became very nervous. Jane was asking about the garden. She had to be careful not to ramble and annoy her new acquaintance.

"Yes. Ever since I was very young, plants have fascinated me," Maura said carefully.

Jane nodded. "You seem to have a lot of different types here. I don't know a lot about plants, but I know this is definitely the most beautiful garden I've ever seen."

Maura's heart soared. "Really?" she asked softly.

"Oh yeah," Jane assured. "The colors, the variety, the layout. It's gorgeous."

Maura was now trying very hard not to cry. No one had ever complimented her garden so genuinely before. "Thank-you," she said, blinking back the moisture in her eyes. "That means a great deal to me."

If Jane noticed how emotional the strawberry blonde was getting, she didn't show it. She simply nodded kindly.

"Well. I better go help Tommy set up our new house. I won't forget about that wheelbarrow," she assured.

"Oh, yes, of course. Thank-you for your help."

"No problem," the taller woman said. "And Miss Isles?"

"Yes?"

"I sure would love to hear more about your garden sometime, if you ever feel inclined."

Maura broke into the biggest smile she had ever worn.

"I would love that. Very very much."

Jane smiled back and turned away. "See you later, Miss Isles."

Maura watched her leave.

"Goodbye Jane."

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