Hello loves – for those of you who are still with me, all I can really say is thank you for the encouragement through my block and a huge transition time in my life. I hope you enjoy this next installment of La Traviata!

Chapter 9

Once again, Jane awoke the next morning to a regrettably empty bed. Rolling over onto her back, she drew in a deep breath and closed her eyes with a long exhale. Would mornings always be like this? When the light streaming in through the window threatened to interrupt her last attempts at peace, she cursed under her breath and flipped out of the big hotel bed. After a long stretch, she noticed a scrap of paper on the bedside table.

Jane,

So sorry to leave you - going out to do some mother damage control. After today, I don't think she'll be bothering us anymore. I promise that tonight will make up for the missteps of the Isles women. Hopefully what you'll find in the closet will cheer you up just a little.

-Maura

Jane smirked, thinking she'd never heard the word "misstep" in her life, and yet she understood it perfectly when she let Maura's voice narrate in her mind. Truthfully, she was little concerned when she opened the closet door, but when she saw its newest addition, her eyes closed again with a smile. What couldn't this woman get her to do?

~LT~

Upon her arrival at the café, Maura had fully intended to read her mother the rights, but Constance was already two steps ahead of her, as usual. She could sense Maura's intentions and hadn't stopped gushing about a new plan for her next gallery showing since the moment she came in the door and sat down. The doctor knew that this forced avoidance of the subject of the polo match was the closest thing to an olive branch her mother had to offer.

"- and of course your father does not think that Jackson Pollock is even a source of inspiration for anyone, but I assured him that the decision should be left to those who have earned several degrees in modern art. So, my new exhibit will come to pass with or without his approval."

In response, Maura nodded and stirred her coffee.

"Maura, dear…is there something troubling you? You left so abruptly yesterday, and you've barely spoken a word this morning."

The doctor cleared her throat before answering, "Mother, what I told you yesterday about Jane's personal life was in confidence. It was extremely ill-mannered and uncouth of you to confront her about it."

Constance was busy rolling her eyes and pretending to be thrown for a loop. "Oh for heaven's sake, Maura. Can't your little 'friend' take a joke? Honestly. I had hoped she'd be able to have a good laugh about it."

"I didn't think it was funny."

"Well, you always were quite the sensitive one, darling."

Maura's eyes involuntarily shut. One more dig was never too many in Constance's book. "Regardless, I never want to hear that you've spoken out of turn or hurt Jane in any other way. Is that clear?"

"Ah, so you're calling the shots with your mother now, is that it?"

Maura continued stare at her confidently, even though on the inside she was fighting the urge to run away from the situation.

Finally, Constance replied, "I see. It shall be as you wish, dearest."

"Thank you." Maura uncrossed her arms and put down the cash for her tab. "I'm sorry mother, but I'll have to run. I have a lot to get done before tonight." She turned and started for the door.

"What's tonight?"

Maura winced and stopped short. "I have a…date."

"Mmm, I see. With the hooker?"

Turning instantly, Maura snapped back, "Be careful mother." Though she had many more words to exchange with Constance, the older woman's quirked eyebrow threatened hell to pay if she did. Maura wasn't ready to fight this battle yet.

"Jane and I…are friends. Nothing more. Excuse me."

As a physician, Maura had always hated the phrase "she makes my blood boil," – an obvious physical impossibility – but as she hailed a cab, she couldn't think of a more apropos description of her morning.

~LT~

At 6:02, Jane was still staring at the mirror in disbelief when there came a knock at the door of the suite. Butterflies infiltrated her stomach at the thought of Maura seeing her so dolled up and…ladylike. This was something she would have never picked out for herself, and yet, it suited her in a wonderfully weird and girly way. She would have puked already if she hadn't wanted so desperately to live up to the doctor's expectations.

Jane opened the door to find a valet.

"…hi?" Jane ventured.

"Hello, miss. Might I say, you look lovely this evening?"

"Oh gosh, you really think so? You don't think it's too much?"

"It wouldn't really be my place to say, madam. But I would venture to guess Ms. Isles would be able to give you her opinion. She's waiting for you in the private lounge adjoining the lobby. I'm to escort you there."

"Umm…okay. Sounds good."

After a slightly awkward elevator ride, Jane was thanking the valet as he opened the door to the private lounge. Instantly, she saw locks of honey blonde turn from the window to face her. Maura's face lit up in a smile and her hands came up to cover her mouth in delighted shock. Her lover was wearing the extremely regal red dress Maura had picked out for her that draped to the floor and appeared to be sculpted perfectly around Jane's toned body.

Jane couldn't go a second longer without knowing what Maura really thought. "Do I look okay? Is it too much? It's too much, isn't it?"

"On the contrary, Jane. I think there's something missing…"

Jane looked dumbfounded. "Really? Well there's nothing else that's going to fit into this dress, I'll tell you that –"

Maura reached into her bag and pulled out a sizeable jewelry box, and the sight of the object inside rendered the young officer speechless. When she truly began to grasp what she was looking at, tears welled up in Jane's eyes. "Oh my god…Maura, where did you get that?"

If possible, the honey blonde was beaming brighter than when Jane had first walked in the room. "I knew you would love it. It's the – "

"Oh baby, believe me, I know what it is. It's the oldest Boston detective's badge still owned by the force…dates back to the 1850s. My Ma used to take me into the precinct as a kid just to look at all this old stuff…I always wondered what it would be like to carry it around and actually call it mine."

"How would you like to wear it tonight?"

"Are you serious?"

"Yes. You see, on our tour, Detective Korsak told me that for a memorial service, a close relative to this badge's original owner had the piece made into a pendant. In his will, he left it to the force. After a bit of cajoling and a few strict promises, Korsak agreed to let me borrow it for you to wear for our special evening out."

Jane felt a tear escape and fall down her cheek as Maura attached the pendant to the fabric near her left shoulder. Jane had never felt more like a princess in her life, though she never even knew she had the desire to feel like one at all.

Looking at their reflection in the silver-plated oval mirror on the wall, Maura knew she had never seen anything quite as beautiful as Jane in this moment. She rose to her tiptoes and gave the brunette a soft kiss to her temple, and wiped away the tear with a deft finger.

Jane looked into Maura's eyes with deep admiration. "If I forget to tell you later, I had a really great time tonight," she said, taking the doctor's hand.

"I'm very glad to hear that, Jane. Now, come with me." Suddenly, they were walking out into the lobby, and Jane realized she had no idea where they were going.

"Wait, where are we going, anyway?"

Maura only looked back and smiled mischievously as they ventured out into the night.

~LT~

This whole evening felt like a dream. Maura had whisked her away in a private jet, and just like that, they were cantering through the practically empty lobby of New York City's Metropolitan Opera at 7:58. It was a good thing Maura had opted to surprise Jane with their destination – she hadn't even had time to groan like she used to when Ma played her opera records. As they walked to the sounds of the orchestra warming up, Jane offered a nervous, "I guess we're late, huh?"

With a sparkle in her ever-arresting eyes, her lover replied, "Just in time," and squeezed Jane's hand. An usher peeled back a thick, velvet and tasseled curtain to reveal their empty seats in a presumably exclusive stage left box. Maura kept hold of her hand until she made sure her guest was properly seated. The doctor's charm made Jane even more nervous, so she started talking while diverting her attention to the funny looking gold binoculars hanging on the railing in front of her.

"So, you said this is going to be in Italian, and I only speak a little, so how am I gonna know what's going on?" The binoculars wouldn't seem to stay put long enough for her to look through them and pretend to be watching the orchestra warm up instead of checking out Maura's outstanding cleavage with her peripherals. Finally, she gave up and whined, "These are broken – mine are broken!"

Maura plucked the opera glasses from Jane's hand and simply flipped the eyepiece over into position, and handed them back to her. Jane couldn't believe how big of klutz she was, while Maura found it fascinating to observe someone experiencing her first time in a place she had practically grown up in. This side of Jane was somehow even more adorable than the others.

Maura couldn't wait another second to set the mood, so as the lights dimmed and the sounds of instruments faded, she began, "A person's reaction to opera is usually quite dramatic. Either they love it, or they hate it. If they love it, they will always love it. If they hate it, they may learn to appreciate it, but it will never become a part of their soul."

Jane couldn't help but wonder if her lover was exaggerating, but she would have given anything for Maura to continue whispering in her ear in the darkness, causing the skin on her neck to come to life and shoot down to her core. When the lights came up, the curtain was pulled back, and the music began to swell. Jane's excitement evolved into something much more innocent. She had never even seen a professional live production before, and boy had she underestimated what this might feel like.

This was the reason Maura had chosen to take Jane to the opera. To see the delight in her eyes nurtured her soul, and if she hadn't already been sure of her love for Jane, she certainly was in this moment.

Once the show was underway, Jane realized she'd heard a great deal of this music before. Perhaps "heard" was the wrong term for doing her best to tune out the noise of her mother's favorites while doing the dishes. So while there was a familiarity to each strain, Jane was actually feeling the emotions of the piece for the first time. Who knew a story could be captured and told with these intricate melodies? The young officer found herself fully grasping the tale of the woman caught between two loves – passion and practicality. She had a decision to make, and yet, with either choice she made, she would have to hurt the one she loved most. Jane became teary-eyed for the second time that evening as she watched the heroine battle between revealing a painful secret, or turning from her lover in hopes of saving him. A lump formed in Jane's throat; it was almost like looking in a mirror.

Jane could barely see for the tears when applause rang out through the crowd over the final crescendo. Maura placed a hand on her shoulder, and Jane covered it with her own and squeezed in approval. She couldn't believe that she, Jane Rizzoli, had just thoroughly enjoyed an opera. Perhaps it had something to do with the company.

As they speechlessly gathered their things, an elderly woman approached the couple and asked Jane, "Did you enjoy the opera, dear?"

Maura smirked. Clearly she hadn't been the only one watching the second show of Jane's reactions.

"Oh my God," Jane replied, "it was so good I almost peed my pants!"

If Maura had acted shocked, she would have only been pretending, so instead she focused on the recovery, and told the confused woman, "She said she liked it better than Pirates of Penzance."

"Ohh…"

Clearly, the woman hadn't bought it. Maura stifled her laughter and followed a starry-eyed Jane out into the lobby.

~LT~

"But I wanna move my queen, dammit!"

"Jane, you know you can't move the queen anymore – you're checkmated. I've won again." Maura smirked at her very drunk chess mate. They had traveled back to the suite on the jet and enjoyed refreshments all along the way. Sipping her wine had earned Maura a buzz, but Jane's five Blue Moons were certainly keeping things interesting.

"Jesus, woman! That's like what, three times?"

"Four."

"SHIT! If this were strip poker, I'd be wearing a g-string and a cowboy hat right about now."

Maura laughed heartily at that image. "Is that so? What a shame we didn't think of it sooner then. I suppose I should be getting to bed. The precinct is expecting me at eight tomorrow morning."

"Hmm…fuck 'em. How about you don't go in tomorrow?" Jane leaned across the game board with a stare that would stop traffic.

Before she could rattle off a typical response involving responsibility, the sexy brunette's proposition got the better of her. "Well…after all, they are the ones chasing me…what do I have to lose?"

Jane winked. "'Atta girl."

~LT~

The dream only continued into the next day as Maura took the first day off of anything she could remember. Jane, of course, was used to the art of playing hooky, and helped her new friend become accustomed and stop looking over her shoulder in the park. It was a beautiful day that they spent most of huddled together on a blanket beneath the trees. A light breeze blew Maura's blonde hair about her face as she read aloud from And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie – her favorite murder mystery. Jane leaned back and tried desperately to listen, but was mostly preoccupied by how much Maura Isles looked like an angel. She longed to take her face in her hands, look her in the eye, and tell her exactly who she was, and how she felt, but she just couldn't. The pain of her deception was only slightly mollified by her love for this woman. What if she told her the truth, and she ran back to her old boyfriend? Would she ever see Maura again?

The late afternoon had led them back to the stables at the country club, and as their horses trotted toward the sunset, Jane realized that coming clean wasn't worth the risk. Nothing would be worth losing her forever.

Maura could only hope that Jane's mostly quiet mood today meant she was grappling with her feelings about the week nearly coming to a close as well. Maura knew she was running out of time to make her final decision, but even if she did in fact choose to stay in Boston, what would happen with Jane? She had a job and a life to go back to. Would they let Maura keep her job if they knew she was seeing a prostitute? These were the kinds of dilemmas that made the world an extremely cruel place to live. Maura would have to ignore it for one more night. She needed tonight to be about Jane.

The two women seemed to come to the same consensus as they shared a look in the twilight on the pasture. "Let's go home," Maura said.

~LT~

"Yeah, so then I showed those cheerleader bitches that I could get my leg all the way up there too!"

Maura was laughing uncontrollably as Jane regaled her with stories from high school.

"You did not do that in the middle of gym class, Jane. I refuse to believe it."

"Oh, believe it sister. There aren't many things this girl wouldn't do to protect her honor. Just the way I was raised, ya know? Never back down."

Maura was still giggling when Jane looked out the window of the Sedan and saw they were about to pass Laurel's. Even though she hated to put off being alone with Maura, she was a little concerned about her own job. When she checked her cell phone this morning, she found it dead with no way to charge it. She hadn't heard from Korsak since the match, so she hadn't even had a chance to tell him Maura definitely wasn't a spy. That is, should she choose to divulge that information. She didn't want them to think they had Maura in the bag just yet. What if they forced her to come back before the week was out? Still, she wanted to know what was up.

"Hey Maur, could you ask the driver to stop by Laurel's? I need to check on a friend of mine."

"Oh, sure Jane. Daryl? Could we stop at the corner, please?"

"Sure thing, Ms. Isles."

"Thanks," Jane said as she opened the door, "I promise I'll be quick."

"I sure hope so."

Jane caught Maura's wink before the door shut behind her and noted the goosebumps forming on her body. It was a bit chilly out on the street tonight, and she was suddenly aware that she'd stick out like a sore thumb wearing this designer lavender dress into the club.

"Eyyy, Vanilla! Good to see you back here on the boulevard, baby!"

Fuck. Why did she have to have such horrible timing? "Hey Rondo…I'm off tonight. Just goin in to check on Kit."

"Mmm, mmm. That's a shame. We coulda had us a damn good time. Besides, I don't think you'll find 'ol Kit in there. Heard she went up to the Hamptons for the weekend."

Jane stopped briefly and nearly tripped in her heels. "What? Who the hell does Kit know in the Hamptons?" Rondo shrugged, but Jane cut him off before he could answer. "You know what, doesn't matter. I'll go check for her anyway."

"Suit yourself, Vanilla!" Rondo strolled down the street as Jane ducked into Laurel's. Sure enough, Kit was nowhere to be found. No one seemed to know where she was, except apparently Rondo. Maybe they should take him up on that informant offer after all.

Jane exited the club feeling a little uneasy. She didn't quite know what move to make next, but someone stepped up to make it for her. Actually, a group of someones.

"Hey, Tiffany. Pleasure to make your acquaintance." Jane found herself face to face with a group of thugs. Naturally, Rondo or anyone else for that matter was nowhere to be found. She couldn't even see the Sedan. They must have gone around the corner to come back and pick her up.

"Hi…do I know you?"

"Name's Carlos. You probably hearda me. I'm a big fan of your work, baby. Word on the street is you got what it takes to be one of my girls. Whaddya say?"

"Ah, yes. Carlos. Kit's told me all about you, and frankly I'm not interested in being your little Barbie doll. So if you'll excuse me…" Just as Jane tried to sidestep the pimp, a member of his gang pulled a rather drastic looking knife.

"That ain't how it works, chica. You ain't goin no place."

Just as Jane was contemplating how to pick a fight with a pimp, a princess in Prada showed up at her side.

"What's going on here, Jane?"

"I dunno, you drove around the block and all the sudden I'm in the middle of West Side Story."

Addressing a baffled Carlos, Maura said, "Excuse me, I think my girlfriend here told you she wasn't interested, so walk off!"

Silence pervaded the alley before the gang began to snicker. Jane whispered out of the corner of her mouth, "It's 'back off,' Maur…"

"Well either way…" now Maura was face to face with Carlos, "I'm asking you nicely to leave her alone."

"Oh yeah? Or else what, Princess?" Carlos quipped.

Just as Maura was starting to panic, she felt Jane's strong hand on her shoulder.

"Or else I pin your ass to the prison cell wall." Jane had remembered a certain item that was still in her purse from the night before and put it to good use. Carlos held up his hands in defeat to Jane's threatening detective badge, and the gang darted every which way, scattering behind him.

"Whoa, hey, look, I didn't know you was a cop…"

"Yeah, well next time think twice before messing with a woman in spiked heels. Now get lost before I decide to bring you in for pissing me off."

As Jane tucked her artifact badge and headed for the car, Maura got back in the pimp's face. "Don't you ever go near her again." His terrified expression assured the honey blonde that he wouldn't.

Jane opened the door to the Sedan for her lover. "You always have to have the last word, Doc?"

"Actually, that's usually not a problem for me, but I found myself speaking out of turn in your defense. However, a great deal of my confidence stems from the fact that I asked Daryl to carry his handgun when he drives us, though."

Jane just shook her head, smiling. Women…

~LT~

Jane had spent the last twenty minutes nearly hyperventilating in the giant bathroom. Clearly, from the silky white nighty Maura had delivered specifically for Jane to wear tonight, the honey blonde had big plans to cap off their evening. The brunette didn't know if she was cut out for this – she had planned to ask Kit for some extra tips, but obviously that had backfired. What was an inexperienced, closeted lesbian cop to do?

"Come on…" she coached herself in the mirror. "You look hot, you know she looks hot, and you did it before…kind of. Besides, you love her. Maybe it'll just come naturally. God, I hope it does." She turned to face the door and exhaled. Here goes nothin'.

The door swung open to reveal an adorable Maura Isles clad in a black silk teddy and dead asleep on the bed.

"Aww…" Jane whispered, "she sleeps." She couldn't recall every actually seeing the woman sleep, and it was certainly a sight worth waiting for. Mesmerizing, in fact. The steady rise and fall of her chest, her hair splayed out behind her on the pillow, the adorable tiny twitches of her nose. Jane could breathe in this sight forever and never get enough.

The world around her seemed to fade, and the sounds of her composition she played for Maura came back to her in her mind. Suddenly, her next action was clearer than anything had ever been in her life. She was being drawn to this woman like theirs was the most natural connection in the universe. Finally, their lips met in perfect contact, and Maura quietly jolted awake, sighing at the realization. Jane could feel the passion as though she were playing her piece for Maura now, as if she held in her hands life's most special secret. And then she was staring straight into Maura's eyes, asking permission to continue.

Maura answered by flipping the brunette onto her back and straddling her at the waist. She shed her own nightie in seconds, revealing an immaculate body that Jane hoped she'd never have to take her eyes off of. Maura urged her forward by helping her slip her nightie off, tossing it to join her own on the floor. She just couldn't wait to taste those lips again, to finally show her love for Jane in the most physically intimate way she could imagine.

With Maura on top of her and their bare chests pressed together, Jane felt like a teenager again – but even in high school, kissing had never meant this much to her. Kissing the person you love most in the world made all other encounters pale in comparison.

Maura grabbed a long, muscular thigh of the naked woman below her and wrapped it around her own, opening up Jane's very slick core. Jane moaned and dug her nails into Maura's back in anticipation. Maura couldn't wait a second longer, and she thrust two of her fingers firmly into her lover, instantly hitting the spot she craved. It paid off to be well versed in the human anatomy.

As Jane rocked into Maura for what seemed like hours, her ecstasy building higher and higher and finally reaching an unbelievable peak, she looked up into hazel eyes through tears of joy. Maura smiled softly and gave her forehead a gentle kiss.

For once, Jane felt right being the little spoon. Moments later, she couldn't stop herself from saying the dangerous words that seemed to echo in the moonlit suite.

"I love you."

But there was no answer – Maura must already be asleep. Jane closed her eyes, as Maura's opened again. She had heard every word, but somehow it didn't feel right to return the sentiment, though she knew in her heart that she did.

Tomorrow, it would be time to set things right.