Disclaimer: All original property is not owned by us and we do not infer that any characters, creations or the concept of 'Rizzoli & Isles' are our property and the following fan fiction has been written purely for entertainment purposes only.
Will You Feel It? Part Two
"Good morning Jane, Angela." Maura literally seemed to float into the precinct cafe in a dark green skirt with a frilly white blouse, a tiny metal belt and stunning strap heels. "I like the variation on the bunny pancake, the folded ear is whimsical and amusing." She appraised the brunette's breakfast with a smile.
"Stanley dropped something in the kitchen and scared the beegeebers out of me when I was making him." Angela admitted with a soft laugh. "I have to get back to my line, sorry girls." She noticed the growing build up at the counter and quickly excused herself.
"Good morning indeed." Jane smirked at the ME as she speared the 'bunny's' nose with her fork. "Is Shay still talented and voracious?" Her smirk turned into a full blown grin as she tipped her head to the side to look fully at Maura, her main of dark curls falling to the side at the re-position.
"Jane!" Maura blushed softly and then seemed to check that no one was actually close enough to eavesdrop on their conversation. "Actually she is." She blushed even brighter, her smile unmistakable. "Maybe a little more so now that she's matured into herself." She gave a soft giggle.
Jane couldn't help but smile too, shaking her head at Maura's very 'girly' and yet still typical response.
"I bet she thought you'd matured too." Jane said quietly also under the average tone of the room. "When are you seeing her again?"
"Possibly on the weekend." Maura admitted with a quirk of her eyebrows. "I impressed on her that our work can be very unpredictable and time consuming when a murder is committed. And to answer the obvious questions she is single, she has been in at least two serious relationships during her time in London but neither worked out for the usual reasons..." She began to fill in. "She admitted to me that my deserting her sent her into a tailspin for a number of years, became obsessed with her work... but that she came to at least partially understand my decision to go to Africa to do relief work."
"Well I'm glad you got to talk and maybe sorting things out." Jane sat up a little a soft frown briefly pressing on her brow. "Are you two talking relationships?" She asked pushing away her plate slightly.
"No... no no." Maura shook her head. "We are still a long way from that conversation. I don't think she harbors any animosity towards me but I do believe that it would take more than one night of rekindled attraction for her to trust me again. And on top of that she is going to be extremely busy in the near future, the transition of the Lynch empire into her control is complicated, her father... mother..." She corrected for Jane's clarification. "Is dying, stage four lung cancer." She frowned deeply. "Shay has a tremendous amount on her plate at the moment."
Jane frowned harder.
"Well that sucks." She said with a thick vein of honestly. "Still it will be easier for her knowing she at least has a friend in you rather than an ex she needs to avoid." Jane pointed out logically. "I'm happy that you two were able to reconnect and that Shay didn't disappoint." She wiggled her eyebrows as she slipped off her stool and pushed down her pants. "Want the rest of my lop eared bunny?"
"Are you not hungry? Are you feeling unwell Jane?" Maura tuned into her and fretted softly.
"You need the carbs more than me, I didn't do what you did last night." Jane winked at her as she took a step away from the stool.
-x-
"Quick while your mother isn't here..." Maura quickly click clacked on her heels over to the closet and moved back towards the kitchen island where Jane was sipping on a beer with a two foot by two foot brown box, looking over her shoulder towards the back door that led to the courtyard that crossed to the guesthouse where Angela had just headed. "I knew if I brought it to you at work you'd refuse it but this way you can tuck it in your car and take it home to enjoy." She grinned brighter.
"Oh gee thanks Maur, you bought me a box." Jane looked at the nondescript box not even pausing from drinking her beer. "Is it a pair of shoes?"
"No." Maura chided her. "Open it." She urged her. "I had to take the liberty of making some guesses about what you might like to explore but I knew you'd never do anything about my suggestion so this way I've simplified your adventure." She clapped her hands together.
Just Maura's enthusiasm made Jane quirk her eyebrow and lower her beer to the work top and focus on the box. Wiping her hand quickly on the side of her jeans the tall brunette moved to begin to pull of the shipping tape. Finally getting inside Jane pulled out the box inside frowning in confusion a little when she revealed the inner box complete with combination lock on the front.
"You bought me a decorative safe?" She eyed the ME as she lifted the gift shaking her head. "A badly made safe, Maura, they're supposed to be heavy, so that thieves can't just pick them up and run with them, you know that right?"
"The lock isn't for thieves, the combination hasn't been set either I left that for you." Maura urged her. "You should open it and see what else is inside, it will explain its purpose." She moved to the fridge to get herself out some berries from a bowl they were already prepped in.
Jane pushed open the lid and more or less immediately closed it again, her cheeks flushing red.
"Maura!" She whirled her head round staring at the ME. "What is this?" She turned back to the box, easing the lid open again, looking inside for a longer moment. "Did you buy a sex shop?"
"No, it's just a representative selection of key merchandise that I hypothesized you might enjoy." Maura moved over and put down her bowl of berries popping a blue berry into her mouth with a smirk. "I knew you'd never do anything even if you were possibly curious so I decided to assist you in making it easier for you to access the tools to reduce your stress."
Jane had been going to further object but stopped as she was drawn to the box, reaching in to pull out a deep burgundy vibrator. It had a soft silicon finish not just on the grooved bullet but also the hand held controller base that held the batteries and slide switch that adjusted the level of vibration of the bullet. It proved to be incredibly sensitive as just by inspecting it the bullet rushed to life and began to buzz in Jane's hand though the level of noise was purposefully muted. A soft smile pulled on her lips as she pressed it to its highest setting and then down to its lowest.
"See, it's cute, compact and doesn't require worry about what to wear to dinner or the difficulty of reading through male social cues." Maura grinned pleased with the reaction at least.
"I can't believe you... what am I saying I totally believe you bought me this." She corrected herself, setting the bullet in the case before easing out far more phallic object. Made of a similar smooth silicon, with a natural curve, the seven inch long blue vibrator had a barely discernible on of control near the base. "Really." She held it up looking at Maura. "And I use this how?"
Maura looked at her for a moment to check that she was being serious then stepped closer. She reached out taking it.
"You turn it on with the bottom button, the top one then adjusts the speed you want to have it on." Maura hit it showing it went from a low level up to a medium and then high before it began another level that cycled through vibration. "Or is your question more of a physical one?" She raised an eyebrow.
"A physical one." Jane whapped at Maura's hands lightly. "Doesn't someone else have to use it on me?" She whispered.
"Oh Jane." Maura gave her a soft smile. "No." She shook her head slightly. "You can either use it for external stimulation much like the bullet or you can use it on yourself internally." She turned it off and showed it how the silicon shaft bent slightly. "It's designed for optimal stimulation of the g spot."
Jane rapidly blinked her eyes as she watched the way Maura was bending the silicon vibrator.
"Well it's obvious your g spot's been stimulated recently." She reached out and snatched the toy back and pushed it back into the box. "I'm not sure mine's ever been stimulated much less by something made of silicon and badly directed by this." She held up her own hand. "At least when a man is doing it he's used to guiding his..." She waved her other hand to her crotch.
"I don't understand though, are you saying that you have received g spot stimulation during intercourse with your male partners or not?" Maura narrowed her eyes curiously confused.
"No..." Jane shook her head. "Yes..." She changed her mind. "I don't know, how would I know." She blinked at Maura. "It doesn't send me a note saying thanks for the orgasm."
"You would know by the intensity of the pleasure, the increased contractions of the internal vaginal muscles during the release, the extensive release of vaginal lubrication, possibly even by achieving a female ejaculation." Maura answered as naturally as she did every question.
"A what?" Jane blinked at her best friend.
"Female ejaculation Jane." Maura leaned on the island closer to her. "When the orgasm experienced is so intense a woman may experience a hard gush of vaginal excretion, the origin of which is under debate but the phenomena is documented to have been experienced in 30 to 50 percent of women." She smiled at her best friend. "I would hypothesize the number is so low simply because many women don't demand that their partners, particularity male ones, focus on their sexual fulfillment during intercourse." She looked at Jane again. "Would you say you most often have orgasms with your partners during penetration or clitoral stimulation?"
"I wouldn't say." Jane shook her head looking at her best friend. "Maura sex is just sex I don't have it very often and when I do it doesn't always mean orgasm, quite often not actually." She summed up shaking her head.
"Jane, no, that is unacceptable." Maura frowned and put her hand on her friend's arm. "Your orgasm is just as important as your partners." She underlined unwavering. "Often women find that intercourse isn't the most successful way for them to achieve fulfillment so that is why foreplay and clitoral stimulation prior is critical. It makes penetration even more substantial and prepares the body to fully enjoy the experience."
"It's not like I get that many chances to fully enjoy Maur." Jane's frown was uneven.
"Which is why I took the liberty of purchasing these things for you." Maura moved to lean against the island backwards beside her looking at her. "You don't need a partner to experience pleasure, it is also a good way to comfortably experiment and discover which ways that your body likes to be touched." She encouraged her. "You are a beautiful woman Jane, there is no reason for you not to be sexually fulfilled."
Jane's frown melted to be replaced with a soft smile.
"Thank you." She looked at Maura. "And the combination lock means I might catch Ma before she had the chance to actually get inside it." She focused again on the ME. "How come you didn't buy me something like this when your got your last boyfriend?"
"I..." Maura paused the question a legitimate one that caused her some level of introspection. "I guess I became a little more aware of my own needs and realized that someone had to worry about yours." She gave a shy smile. "Shay... was the one who helped me become more comfortable with my own body and what things I enjoyed both with a partner and solo."
"What is about Shay? I mean what was it about her?" Jane leaned herself against the work top again picking up her beer again. "I mean there must have been a dozen boys throwing themselves at you in university but you picked a woman." She sipped her drink. "Why?" She kept her eyes on the ME.
"Because she was... confident, charismatic, intelligent..." Maura tried to sum up. "Because she had this way of making everything so erotic... she bought me a book once of sapphic poetry, and on every page she had underlined words or phrases and made notes in the margins comparing the words to me."
"Sounds..." Jane paused with a smirk. "Slick." She offered. "I'm happy." She put her hand on the top of her 'box'. "You said she had a sister right?" She winked.
"Yes a cellist." Maura gave a soft laugh. "Jane... take this question remembering it is me asking it and not one of the neanderthals in the Brick or a bully from the schoolyard." She paused to make that point clear. "Have you ever been attracted sexually to a woman?"
"I don't know." Jane shrugged her answer coming a little too quickly. "I've been called a Dyke a lot."
"That is just a word, a word used by many people to belittle others and try to elevate the user over them for some perceived sin of choice." Maura frowned. "Would you consider me being a Dyke a bad thing?" She used the word as casually as she could.
"You're not a Dyke Maur." Jane snorted softly. "I was around for the wave of boys you've had remember." She pointed out smiling. "And if this thing with Shay becomes more than a thing then you still wouldn't be a Dyke, you'd be a 'Lesbian'." She offered the word with richness and fullness. "With nothing but good connotations."
"Okay so let's not use the ugly word, let's use the good word." Maura smiled. "Thinking only about the idea of that good word, have you ever been sexually attracted to a woman?" She restated the question.
"I don't know." Jane frowned again. "Women have always been in a different box to guys." She admitted.
"Of course, they are by definition very different creatures." Maura smiled. "I have to admit the first time Shay openly hit on me I was quite taken aback, it wasn't something I had experienced before. A woman, a beautiful woman who made no hesitation making her desires or intentions clear." She thought back with a soft smile. "It was terrifying and freeing at the same time."
"I can imagine, well no I can't, no woman has ever made bold or even fearful sexual advances to me." Jane shook her head. "I've just.. I've never been very good at relationships with women. Having two brothers... I've always.." She stopped. "You saw the crowd I had around me at high school, it was all about cat fights and bitch fests, I used to just have one friend, a best friend who I was devoted to." She gave a shrug.
"What was she like?" Maura urged her to explain.
"What do you mean, oh at high school, Beth, Beth Symmons? She was... great. Tiny, cute as all hell." Jane smile brightly. "Funny, boy was she funny."
"We didn't meet her at the reunion did we?" Maura checked and got an immediate nod. "What about her made it so you felt you could be such good friends with her, devoted as you said? What made her different from the other woman you felt competitive and judged by?"
"Everything about Beth was different." Jane shook her head. "And no she wasn't at the reunion, I doubt she'd come all the way from Nevada for a High school reunion."
"You've still told me nothing about this woman except she is funny and tiny cute." Maura teased softly.
"Maura I've got no idea what she's like now, that was years ago. She was funny, tiny and cute seventeen years ago." Jane pointed out. "I don't know.." The tall detective took another sip of her beer. "She wasn't like any of the others, she didn't care about the football team or fashion, she liked to hear about what I had to say, she listened to stories and she listened when I complained about Ma and my brothers." Jane replied. "She also kind of understood, she had two brothers herself, though they were older than her, she was the baby, and her family originally came from Ireland, so she understood being a part of two different cultures." She took another sip of beer. "And she had a pet rat, I really wanted a pet when I was in high school but Ma said it wasn't fair that just one of us kids had a pet and she didn't want all of us to have one so..." She gave a shrug.
"Sounds like you two had a very close friendship, do you ever talk to her?" Maura pried softly.
"No." Jane said the word too quickly.
"What happened?" Maura frowned knowing the classic Jane response meant something.
"Nothing I just don't." Jane shrugged, putting down her beer and pushing her 'gift' back into its packing box almost knowing her mother had been away too long.
"Did you have a falling out?" Maura didn't give up just yet though she let her seal back up the box also not really wanting to explain to Angela what was inside of it.
"No." Jane shook her head looking up and around as there came a small knock on the back door and her mother let herself into Maura's house.
"Janey, you're still here." She said as if the fact was a complete surprise when it was obvious it wasn't. "Are you staying for supper?"
"No Ma." The detective shook her head and picked up her box putting down her beer. "I've got to get home. You and Maura have lots to talk about I'm sure, you should ask Maura where she was the other night." Jane took long strides towards the door. "I'll catch you tomorrow." She waved at them both before slipping out.
"Where you were?" Angela immediately turned to the ME with a slightly puzzled frown. "Did you go away? I didn't notice you were gone you didn't ask me to watch Bass, I would have you know, I know how he likes his Cactus now."
"No Angela I didn't go away, if I had I would have asked you to look in on him of course." Maura had shot Jane a look which seemed only to please the detective more when she'd left but smiled at the older woman. "I just went to dinner with an old university friend who is back in town after being in London for many years." She filled in discretely.
"One of the reasons I wanted Janey to go to University was so she could make friends, she was never very good at it." Angela looked towards the door where Jane was just about to disappear, earning herself a look from her daughter. "She was usually too aggressive, too bossy. I used to tell her no one likes to be bossed around Janey, but she didn't listen to me."
Maura watched as this earned an eyeroll from the brunette who then huffed her way out the door, but inside she was at least glad the detective had taken the 'gift' with her instead of outright refusing it. It gave her some hope.
"Actually Angela, Jane mentioned to me that she had one good friend in high school, Beth Symmons?" She prompted hoping it would spur the older Rizzoli into giving her more details.
"Bethie?" The older woman raised her eyebrows. "Oh my goodness that's a name I haven't heard in years. That girl broke my Janey's heart." She crossed the hallway and came into the kitchen shaking her head.
"Broke her heart?" Maura was honestly a bit surprised by the phrase Angela had used. "What happened? Jane wouldn't tell me why they no longer spoke."
"Oh it wasn't her fault." The older Rizzoli shook her head. "Her and Jane were as thick as thieves, as close as sisters... a little like the two of you really." She mused with a soft laugh. "Only so little, always in corners, giggling about boys and cannolis, if you know what I mean." She winked at Maura.
"Oh." Maura took a second but then caught on with the exaggerated wink and boy reference.
"Nothing could separate them, literally, Beth's parents built a tree house in their backyard and they had sleep overs in it all the time, must have been terrible for them thinking back, sleeping out on bare wood in the middle of a Boston summer, but they loved it." Angela recalled with a laugh. "The year before graduation Bet's mother was killed in a car accident, her father couldn't cope with work and all the pressures... he sent Beth away, to Nevada, it's where his parents were, she was packed up and sent off in less than a month after her mother was gone. Jane never saw her again. She sent a letter, maybe two, Janey made me rip them up."
"That's horrible." Maura's frown was deep and pronounced. "For a young woman to lose both her mother, her immediate family, her home and her best friend all in such a short time." She shook her head softly thinking of the emotional and psychological toll it must have taken. "But why would Jane have you rip up her letters? It wasn't Beth's fault."
"Jane felt betrayed, she wanted Beth to run away, she asked if she could stay with us, of course I'd said yes before I understood what Janey meant, I thought she just meant for a night or two..." Angela frowned more. "But you know Jane." She looked down. "She wanted Beth to literally run away from everything, come with her and turn her back on her family, put her ultimate trust in Jane, in the friendship they had." Angela took a breath. "The poor thing couldn't do that." She shook her head. "But you know my Janey... she just didn't understand."
"I do know Jane." Maura nodded softly. "And I understand now why she has such trouble making connections to other women in particular." She extrapolated gently. "I... never had the luxury of a best friend that I would have wanted to do all that for. I'm not sure having to live that or never having it is actually worse."
"Well you have it now." Angela perked up, patting the back of her hand. "You're officially, an unofficial Rizzoli." She grinned brightly. "So you get all that comes with being one of us." She moved to pick up her daughters mostly empty beer bottle. "So, your friend from university, is he handsome?" She wiggled her eyebrows at the ME.
"SHE... is very beautiful yes." Maura smiled shyly at the older woman's immediate jump to 'he' in such a hopeful tone. "Angela..." She paused sitting up a bit straighter where she had slipped onto one of the stools. "As I am an unofficial official Rizzoli and you know I value our talks about things, especially personal topics because I appreciate the insight and advice that you give me." She outlined her nervousness growing a little. "I think it's only fair that I admit to you it wasn't just dinner, it was a date... Shay and I had a relationship in college."
"Well..." Angela paused but only for a second. "I think that's nice." She offered in a way only she could. "I think that if you want to you should able to experience all the flavours God put in this world." She adjusted her shoulders slightly as she walked to sit up on the stool next to the younger woman. "I had a girlfriend once." She dropped her tone to a lower one, that seemed to be exclusive but at the same time an announcement.
"You did?" Maura couldn't hide her mixture of surprise and well excitement. "When?"
"I might be 58 now but I was young once you know, and think about the decade that was in." She chuckled brightly as she patted her hand over the ME's softly. "Her name was Wild Orchid. We met at a music festival."
"That is beautiful." Maura's grin was bright as she reached to put her hand on Angela's arm. "Shay and I dated for a year and a half." She admitted softy. "When we graduated from our respective doctoral programs she wanted me to move to London with her, to start our life together and I panicked... and went to Africa to do relief work." She frowned now.
"You were too young." Angela squeezed her hand in its place. "Sandra and I... that was her real name." She explained as if explanation were necessary. "Had a very passionate affair for three weeks." She nodded recalling the facts. "She had a husband in Tuscon, and I... I had Frank..." She sighed tightly. "But it was the 70's.." She smiled at Maura. "And boy should he be thankful to her for some things." She winked at the ME.
"Your daughter seemed surprised when I tried to explain to her what a voracious and talented lover Shay could be, but I'm glad at least one Rizzoli truly understands." Maura smiled back at her.
"Are you seeing her again?" Angela asked gently. "Is she back in Boston for a long time? I'm not sure I'm ready to lose one of my babies to London."
"She's back for the foreseeable future." Maura began. "Her family... has a very successful shipping and antiquities business, the Lynch's?" She checked to see if Angela had any recognition of the name and saw the brunette nod. "She's come back to take over control of the family business for her..." She corrected herself before a whole other conversation had to happen. "Mother who has fallen ill with cancer."
"Tragic." Angela frowned softly. "Sounds like most of all she needs a friend." She advised softly. "And we all know what a good friend Maura Isles can be." She patted her hand in it's place again. "If it makes you happy, then I am happy." She added. "But you'd better warn her what I do to any one who hurts on of my babies."
"I will warn her." Maura gave a soft loving smile appreciative of the older woman's concern and protectiveness.
-x-
"So..." Angela slipped up beside her daughter at the cafe as the taller woman got herself some coffee. "Dr. Isles told me about her new suitor." She prompted for her daughter to say something on the topic.
"Did she?" Jane kept her eyes forward, pressing down the lid of the machine. "That... comes as no surprise actually." She admitted shaking her head as she glanced down to see if her cup was even remotely full. "And what wisdom do you want to share with me about this?" She finally looked at her mother. "And before you say it, no mother I don't think I should warn her about the evils of Lesbianism, or the fact that her life styles choices according to some old book that needs some serious revision, will send her to hell."
"Janey!" Angela frowned at her. "I am not that narrow minded or judgmental and in fact the Pontiff has been very clear that we should embrace our gay and lesbian brothers and sisters and love them." She spelled out for her daughter. "I was actually more trying to find out since you met her if you thought she would be a good match for Maura." She pointed out her real reason for starting this conversation.
Jane turned her body and lightly rested her hip against the table side, stopping her insistent jabbing at the machine and picking up her cup, stirring the contents suspiciously.
"Well, she's rich..." She offered. "She has connections, heritage and standing..." She added a few more points. "She's beautiful, cultured and spends more money on clothes than I do on my mortgage." She dropped the stir stick in the garbage. "She's possibly perfect."
"Right okay, so what do we do?" Angela began plotting. "Obviously someone that cultured isn't going to be further swayed by a family dinner..." She tapped her finger to her lip.
"WE don't DO anything Ma." Jane pushed off from the table and began a slow walk away. "If she's the right one then it'll happen. If not then..." Jane shrugged. "Ah well, too bad." She snapped the plastic lid on her coffee with another shrug. "Que sa ra sa ra."
"You need to be more involved in people's lives Jane." Her mother pointed a finger at her accusingly. "She needs our support and intervention right now."
"Ma..." The tall detective took long strides over to her mother, using her free hand to cup her elbow. "Maura left this woman okay, not dumped her or broke up with her, actually completely bailed on her." Jane pointed out. "There was a reason she did that, that's all I'm saying." She underlined. "Now if that reason is now a non reason then I think Maura is the only one that can work it out, us pushing her isn't going to do that." She shook her head. "And there is nothing wrong with her getting to enjoy some..." She stopped herself. "Time." She cleaned up her statement. "While she decides."
"Okay okay." Angela seemed to relent slightly. "I'd try to not be a buttinski." She offered softly. "By the way, what was in the box you left with yesterday?" She added changing the topic.
"Shoes." Jane answered casually. "Maura finally got me to order some off that damn site she's always on."
"I can't wait to see them, you should get new boots, those are getting a little dated dear." She glanced at her daughter's footwear and then moved to head behind the counter.
"Who sees them?" Jane said more to herself than anyone else as she looked between her boots and her mother as she wandered off. "There's nothing wrong with my boots, I like my boots." She continued to grumble as she walked towards the entrance to the cafeteria almost bumping into Maura. "Oh hey." She managed to pull up before the collision. "Do you think there's anything wrong with my boots?" She pulled up her pant leg a little.
"Fundamentally no, your legs accentuate a chunky heel well but the leather quality is a bit dubious, there is a fabulous Italian designer I could order you some from." Maura perked up immediately.
"That wouldn't cost me more than my apartment?" Jane narrowed her eyes at the other woman.
"No." Maura shook her head. "You would consider them extravagant but after you refused the last pair I pointed out to you based on price I actually did quite a bit of comparative shopping to find a pair that you might consider within a reasonable budget but that I thought were of sufficient quality and design."
"I'll be down to look at them on line as soon as I catch a break." She flashed a smile at hazel eyes. "How's your day?" She tagged on to the end of her comment.
"Unusually slow." Maura frowned slightly. "But I guess I shouldn't wish for work considering." She made the soft admission. "So drop by when you can and I'll show you them." She encouraged. "I'm working on catching up on files in my office until something imperative drops onto my table."
"Then I will see you soon Dr. Isles." Jane smiled brightly and slipped off back towards her desk.
-x-
"See they are a reasonable price, a fantastic line and good quality." Maura had pushed her chair back a bit so that Jane could bend over to look at her laptop where she'd brought up the boots in question.
The detective looked at little dubious before she focused on the boots for a moment longer.
"Compared to the first pair you showed me, the price is reasonable." She nodded. "Compared to these..." She shifted slightly awkwardly and launched her leg up and set her booted foot on the table, they're ridiculous." She blinked. "$59.99." She pointed to the scuffed zipped ankle boots she was wearing.
"Which offer no orthopedic assistance or arch support I bet, and even if they once did you repetitive marching from one crime scene to the next in them has ruined any internal cushioning." Maura pointed out in return. "I was going to purchase something else from the site anyway, let me order the boots and you can give me 59.99 for them." She threw out the middle ground. "Knowing you're not ruining your feet will help me feel better."
"Order the boots, I'll give you 59.99 and IF they're any good, I'll think about paying you the balance." Jane dropped her foot off the table. "If they're not, you're getting them back and you're personally taking me to Pay Less."
"Pay less?" Maura made a distasteful face. "Fine." She relented. "But I guarantee you're going to love them." She squared her shoulders confidently. "Though speaking of presents..." She grinned. "Did you try anything from your safe yet?"
"I took out the weird wavy egg one." Jane wiggled her hand as she moved around the other side of the desk and flopped in one of the chairs. "But fell asleep before I used it." She admitted. "On the plus side, it didn't scare the shit out of me by stroking my cheek in the morning."
"I'm going to take the fact you didn't program the lock and hide it in the back of your closet as a victory." Maura lifted her chin slightly. "And that is the exact point, it is all about you." She underlined again. "It is simply a tool, like being a cop and having a gun, it helps you do your job better, this helps pleasuring yourself easier and more convenient."
"It'll be a long time before I'm using my gun!" Jane teased with a wink. "You use a scalpel much?"
"Ha ha." Maura rolled her eyes softly and then let her voice soften. "I hope you're not mad but I asked your mother about Beth, when you didn't give me any real details..." Her hazel eyes were sympathetic and caring. "I'm sorry that you had to lose your best friend under such tragic and insurmountable circumstances."
Jane looked at the floor and pressed her boot tip into the carpeting.
"It's okay, we were just kids, not like it was world shattering or anything." She shook her head.
"It was exactly the definition of world shattering." Maura shook her head back moving around the desk to lean against it closer to her friend. "Though I think it's very admirable and brave that you tried to find a way to keep her where she most wanted to be, tried to find a way to help maintain some semblance of the familiar after losing her mother so horribly. I'm positive she must have been very touched and impressed by your attempts to protect her."
"She can't have been too impressed right?" Jane made the statement with a soft eye roll. "Hey I get it we were just kids." She shrugged. "Ma told me you told her about Shay." She changed the subject with a nod. "She's planning the wedding."
"Oh." Maura was surprised by this news. "I admit I was grateful for how accepting she was but I didn't think she'd be going that far already." She gave a soft laugh. "Though you should know, she told me I am an unofficial official Rizzoli and she threatened Shay if she hurt me."
"So she should." Jane looked up with a real smile. "Me, Tommy and Frankie, we pack a punch." She added. "And maybe it's not a wedding she's planning, but she's happy that you're being paid attention, she likes it when her kids get attention." She smiled. "And hey the Pontiff says you're okay so..." She grinned.
"You've been speaking with the Holy Father about me?" Maura's face grew confused.
"Who else do you think I Skype with over Bunny pancakes in the morning? The president is only available Tuesdays and Thursdays Maur."
-x-
A light knock came on Maura's back door and as usual Angela let herself in.
"Maura I wanted to talk to you, is now a good time?" The older Rizzoli came in carrying a small notebook, glancing around the pristine house as she walked through to where Maura was busy in the kitchen. "I can come back if it isn't."
"No no it's fine Angela. I was just preparing a kale power salad for my lunch tomorrow." Maura smiled up from her work. "What can I help you with?"
"Well after our chat the other day I was wondering if you think I should do something for Jane." Angela paused at the edge of the island.
"It depends on who you intend on setting her up with." Maura gave a soft laugh. "I'm not sure a blind date with a woman would not have Jane running for the hills." She grinned.
Angela laughed brightly.
"A woman would have more sense than to date my Janey." She tittered shaking her head. "No, but I was thinking about maybe seeing if I could find Beth Symmons, you know, it's been such a long time, and you've shown her that the past can be moved on from."
"Angela, I think that's a fantastic idea." Maura jumped to agree immediately. "Perhaps we could get Frankie, or even Frost or Sgt. Korsak to see if they can find her address for us and we can offer her an invitation to visit Boston and to reconnect with Jane."
"Oh you do?" A look of almost relief seemed to wash over the older woman's face as she looked at the ME. "Because you see I may already have done something..."
"Did you find her?" Maura put down the salad shears she had in her hand.
"The internet is a wonderful thing, and I have lots of friends at the station now, not just Frankie and the boys at homicide." Angela nodded. "She doesn't live in Nevada anymore." She shook her head.
"Where is she? Hopefully not too far away to make visiting for the weekend difficult." Maura fretted.
"No not too far away at all." Angela shook her head. "She moved back to Boston to look after her father seven years ago."
"She's back in Boston that's fantastic." Maura enthused again. "We'll have to arrange dinner for the two of them, maybe here so it's less formal?"
"She's married and has two little girls." Angela carried on with a brightening smile as she reached out for Maura's hand. "Do you know what they're called?"
"No. Going with the time frame I believe... Emma and maybe Britney?" She made the informed guess.
"Tianna and Jane."
"She named one after Jane, that is adorable." Maura put her hand to her heart. "You were so right to look her up... I know Jane hates surprises but this is going to be perfect."
-x-
"Maura, Maura... can I talk to you?" Frankie pulled the doctor out of line at the cafe for a moment, taking a deliberate look around to make sure that his mother was busy and that his sister wasn't anywhere in the vicinity.
"Of course Frankie." The ME gave him a bright smile as always. "Is there something wrong?" She checked as always her first concern."
"If the rumour I've just heard is right then yes, something is going to be very very wrong." Frankie checked again Jane wasn't anywhere in sight. "Are you in on this thing my mother is doing to surprise her by bringing Beth Simmons to dinner?"
Maura's eyes sparkled with barely concealed happiness that only slightly dimmed with Frankie's demeanor.
"Yes, well technically it's Beth Wildes now but, yes I'm 'in on it' as you said. Why?" She frowned softly.
"You have got to get Ma to shut it down!" Frankie again checked for Jane. "The last person I think my sister is going to want to have shoved in her fact is Beth whatever her name is now, especially if she's married with two kids, no that is just like the icing on this hellish cake of giving Jane a rage heart attack."
"I don't understand." Maura frowned harder. "What happened was a long time ago when they were just children, Jane can't hold a grudge for that long it's not in her nature." She shook her head. "And Beth had no choice she had lost everything..." She stopped, blinking at the young man when his look of resolution didn't change. "You're not talking about what I'm talking about are you." She shook her head as she examined him. "What don't I know?" She peered at him harder.
"You don't know what everyone didn't know, what I wasn't supposed to know but come on I'm her little brother and they wouldn't let me up in that damn tree house and I shouldn't have climbed up I know and if she finds out she'll still kill me but..." He looked around again as if expecting her fist to be flying from any direction. "Beth Simmons and my sister were best friends." He stressed the words widening his eyes. "Really really close best friends."
"Frankie I know that which is why...OH!" Maura's eye's went as wide as her mouth as she made the sound instantly also looking around for the tall dark detective, her hand reaching out to close around his arm. "You climbed up into their secret tree house and saw them kissing?"
"In a tree, there's a song... yeah it fits." Frankie was at least relieved she'd figured it out. "Thankfully like I said Jane didn't see me, but I confronted Beth about it and she admitted to me she was in love with my sister... I don't think Jane even really knew how big a deal it was for her." He tried to spell out. "And I know it had nothing to do with it, but the day her mother had that accident... Beth confided in me that she thought it was because her mother had read her diary, had had this Irish Catholic freak about all the things she'd wrote down about Jane. Then Jane started the whole keep Beth at our house crusade and Mr. Simmons just got even worse considering everything going on because one of her brother's snitched on Beth to him and next thing we knew it was his mission to keep her away from Jane."
"That's terrible." Maura looked horrified. "But it's quite clear that Beth has never moved on, you do know that she has two children, that one of them she named Jane."
"What? No, shit." Frankie looked around checking for his sister again. "I can't explain my sister's part it in Maura but Beth had it bad, huge... they used to tease them at school, you know how kids are and anyone who seems even a hint of different well they're all over it like pariah." He let out a hard breath. "I tried to talk about Beth once, she put me in a headlock till I almost passed out and told me if I ever mentioned Beth Simmons or that tree house to her again she'd make sure I never woke up."
Maura's scowl grew even worse.
"Perhaps I should try." The doctor offered softly smoothing her hands down over her skirt, as if the decision was already made in her mind that indeed she was going to.
"If you can't shut down Ma's bad idea then yeah you have to warn Jane." Frankie at least agreed with her on this part. "She hates surprises at the best of times, this one she's going to hate."
"I'll do what I can."
-x-
"Okay Maur, what's the 911? And it better not be my boots because I don't have your 59.99 because I just paid my hydro bill." Jane's smirk was bright as she pushed into the ME's office. It was almost after hours and Maura was already packed up to go.
"No, UPS says they're in Dallas still." Maura shook her head. "No, there is something else I need to talk to you about... sit please." She gestured to the couch as she moved over to sit down herself.
"Okay." Jane took long comical strides over to the couch dropping on it heavily. "So doctor what brings us both here today." She said in her comical tone.
"Jane this is serious." Maura frowned. "First I want to apologize for my role in this, I clearly didn't understand the true nature of the situation or else I wouldn't have encouraged your mother at all, I would have tried to redirect her instantly but I'm sure you can appreciate that I just thought she was attempting to do something I thought was sweet and might bring about a little joy into your life."
"Okay, at first I wasn't liking this and now I'm flat out scared, what the hell Maura?" She turned slightly to look at the other woman. "Your part in what? What has my mother done? Is my mother doing? If you've arranged for Jo Friday to have puppies I will kill both of you."
"No." Maura shook her head. "Your mother was inspired by our reminiscing to try to see if she could find Beth, reunite the two of you."
"Find Beth." Jane immediately pressed her hands together rubbing them over one another, biting at her inner lip. "My mother wants to find Beth Symmons and what bring her back to Boston for some High school reunion. We both know how great those turn out. What was the death toll at the last one Maur? Three? Four?" She pushed up off the couch pressing the end of her thumb briefly to her nose before she began a soft march around the chair, wringing her hands over themselves.
"No, nothing that elaborate, just a simple dinner for the two of you to talk, reconnect." Maura explained the true nature of the situation. "But... Frankie found out about her plan and made me aware that perhaps Beth isn't someone you would really like to be reconnected with." She tried to find a tactful way of saying this that wouldn't further hurt the brunette. "And please, don't choke him again, he only spoke to me in the hopes I could somehow stop this and protect you or at least warn you."
"Frankie did what?" Jane stopped immediately and then pushed straight for the door.
"No Jane... Jane..." Maura had to move almost faster than her heels allowed to reach the doorway first and put her hands up actually having to plant them on the detective's upper chest to physically imply that she wasn't moving. "Don't be mad at him, everything he did was to protect you." She stressed the word at her. "He didn't mention any of this to your mother if that's a concern, he came only to me." She underlined again.
"What did he tell you." Jane demanded, her tone cold.
"He told me that being an impetuous little brother he once spied on you in Beth's tree house." Maura began not lowering her hands wanting to keep the physical reminder to Jane's brain that she was in the way forefront in her mind.
"That little shit." Jane stamped her foot angrily. "And."
"And..." Maura took a soft breath. "He confronted Beth about it and she admitted..." Her voice softened. "That she was in love with you."
"I'm going to kill him, it doesn't matter if you let me do it now, or when I finally get myself out of whatever restraints you have in here, my brother is a dead man." Jane tucked wild hair behind her ear. "I told him what I would do to him if he ever EVER told anyone about that." She underline with her finger.
"He remembers and he mentioned that, but clearly he thought telling me was the only way he could protect you." Maura tried to reason with her. "He didn't tell anyone then Jane, he hasn't in all these years... and please, it's only me, I'm not judging you, I'm not jumping to any conclusions... you were seventeen... it can be a very confusing time, he was very clear he had no idea what your feelings or participation were just that Beth had admitted what she had to him." She reminded again. "Did you know?" She asked softer.
"Maura he didn't spy Beth kissing me..." Jane replied. "Beth naked and me fully clothed in her tree house saying no please stop." The dark haired detective's voice was terse. "We were..." Jane stopped. "I think I knew." She offered.
"He was what 14?" Maura extrapolated. "His brain saw kissing, he doesn't need a correction." She smiled softly at the brunette. "He also told me the reason Beth thought her Mother died." She broached the idea in a gentle voice.
"Because some drunk guy t-boned her coming off of 34th street." Jane replied shaking her head actually looking at Maura for the first time in a long while, shaking her head when she saw the look the other woman was giving her. "But that's not what you mean."
"She only told Frankie." Maura put her hand up to her face suddenly realizing from the Detective's flippant response that it was likely she hadn't been 'in' the loop all those years ago. That Beth had tried to protect her from the truth of what the situation had become.
"Who told Frankie what? And what did they tell him?" Jane's tone stiffened again. "Doreen Symmons was killed by a drunk driver in a RTA on 34th street at approximately 6:40 on July 12th."
"Yes she was." Maura nodded that this was the facts. "But... sometime earlier in the day Beth admitted to Frankie that her mother had read her diary Jane."
"Beth's mother had read her diary." Jane pulled in a breath as she pushed her hair back off her face with both hands and shook her head. "But..." She swallowed and looked at Maura blinking fast, as she pushed away from the ME pacing quickly back into the middle of the room. "Everything..." Her voice was a little shaky.
"It's Frankie's understanding that at some point after her death, Beth's brother told their father about the confrontation Doreen had with Beth, told him what had been read from that diary and without giving her a choice in the matter she was sent to her grandparents." Maura continued in a slow soft manner knowing the intelligent detective needed the entire picture to really process any of this.
Jane put one hand up to cover her mouth, wrapping the other around her waist.
"Because of me." The words came out in little more than a whimper. "She was sent away because of me." She bent over a little almost as if in pain.
"No Jane, she was sent away because people were narrow minded and thought that by separating the two of you it would somehow change what existed between you." Maura took a few slow steps towards her. "This is a hypothesize but considering that Angela doesn't know, it suggests from a psychological perspective that Mr. Symmons blamed his daughter and not you, he wanted to punish her." She offered with a wince. "Neither of you did anything wrong Jane."
"That's not how it feels." Jane was at the door before Maura could stop her this time. "You stop this, I do not want to see her." She underlined clearly before sliding out of the door and slamming it closed.
-x-