Here is another installment. I hope y'all are enjoying this as much as I am writing it. I know it's been kinda slow in the beginning but your patience will be rewarded. I have lots of fun ideas already in my head. Also, I'm keeping some of the characters from the movie the same (Sipsey and Big George)
For clarity, Jane is 19 and Maura is 21
10 Years Later
"Korsak, are you going to play cards or you just gonna sit there makin' eyes at Kiki?" Jane slurred slightly. She leaned in closer to Korsak and raised her eyebrows expectantly. He reluctantly turned his attention back to the poker game at hand.
"Screw off, Rizzoli. I'm barely payin' attention but I'm still kickin' your ass anyway, ain't I?" Korsak smirked as he dropped more coins into the middle of the table. Jane eyeballed the pot and the older man closely before rolling her eyes.
"I ain't raisin'. I fold," she groaned. Korsak just leaned back with his whiskey glass in hand and laughed as some of the other players at the table followed Jane's lead. Luke, the honorary dealer for the night, pushed Korsak's winnings in the man's direction.
"I keep tellin' ya kid. Ol' Korsak ain't just good at detecting criminals. It takes a sharp mind to be able to count cards and such." He tapped his temple with a large finger and nodded like the cat who got the canary. Jane just glared at him even harder.
"The only thing you're good at detectin' is where your next meal is gonna come from, old man." Jane softened the insult with a slight smirk. She slapped both palms lightly on the table and pushed herself up. "I gotta go boys. Ma insists I come home for dinner tonight, Lord only knows why."
The boys around the table protested lightly, but then the dealer started handing cards back out and their attention was short lived. She rolled her eyes again before patting Korsak on the back and muttering her goodbye as she walked out.
Angela sat out in the front porch with Sipsey, the housekeeper, as they shelled peas and cleaned fish respectively. They worked in comfortable silence for a while until Sipsey finally spoke up.
"You really think asking Ms. Maura to come back here will help our Jane?" She looked up from the fish, the knife glistening between her deft fingers.
Angela sighed deeply before putting her hands in her lap, fidgeting with the pods she just picked up. "I really hope so, Sipsey. Jane ain't been right since Frankie and the only person who knows exactly what she saw and what she went through is Maura. I don't know what I'm expectin' out of them meetin' again. Maybe they can just become friends. Lord knows Jane could use another female friend in her life. Some who can maybe understand her."
Both women shared a knowing look, thinking of Jane's exploits down at the unsightly bar on the edge of town. Angela shook her head. "I just gotta have faith that one day she'll be able to move on. Maybe have a family of her own or somethin'." Sipsey chuckled despite herself.
"Angela, that girl is as wild and free as kudzu. I don't know if she'll ever want to settle down with a man. Can you picture Jane cookin' dinner and moppin' them floors?" Sipsey grinned at the mental image.
Angela shrugged in concession. "Well, you're probably right about that. Girl can't hardly boil water much less fry a tomato. Guess we will just take it one day at a time. We better get these mess of peas and fish goin' though, Sipsey, or supper will be late," she grunted as she picked up the basket of peas resting on the floorboards of the porch. Sipsey grabbed the bowl of fish and followed her back into the house.
Maura walked quietly in contemplation while on the road to the Rizzoli plantation. Dressed in a white, lacy dress with a matching hat and shoes, she walked carefully so as to not sweat and look haggard when she finally arrived. She hadn't seen Jane Rizzoli since they were just children. The day Frankie died was something that would remain with her forever even as she tried to cope with it. She felt she was doing a good job but obviously Jane was still struggling.
Just last week, she got a pleading call from Angela Rizzoli asking her to visit Whistle Stop and talk to Jane. She honestly had no idea what to say to the girl. Or woman now. She didn't really know Jane. Didn't know how to help the situation. But the desperation in Angela's voice incited her to visit anyway. She just hoped she wouldn't make anything worse.
She was nearing the end of the long driveway, about to walk up onto the porch, when a raspy voice behind her spoke.
"Maura?"
