"Jane, is your mother okay? She seems more tired than usual." Maura took the coffee that Jane handed her as they both got on the empty elevator.
"I've tried to talk to her. It's something, I know, I just can't get her to tell me what."
They both stumbled a bit as the elevator ground to a halt and the main lights went out. After a brief pause the emergency lights came on, barely lighting the elevator car, and the two friends looked at each other. "Dead body in the mechanical room?" Maura shook her head, but Jane spoke with a slight smile before Maura could, "You don't like to speculate. So… my mother. What should we do about her?"
"That depends entirely on if it's a financial or a life problem."
Jane blew out a breath, "God, I bet it's my Dad, he's such a-"
Maura cut Jane off, "No matter what he is he's still your Dad Jane."
Jane took a sip of her coffee, "Oh, I know and I love him. But he's hurt Ma so much. I feel like if I see him again too soon I'll punch him in the nose."
"Jane… that's a very violent impulse."
Jane emptied her coffee cup, "I'd punch someone for you if they needed it too." She paused, "Or is that- BT's job now?"
"BT and I…" Maura stared down at her cup, "We're exploring all our options."
Jane made a face, "Did he break up with you." She held up her hand in a fist. "It's ready to go if you need it."
Maura wrapped her free hand around Jane's fist and lowered it, "No… Thank you, but, No. We were- too alike. Apparently that is not always advantageous to a relationship." She looked around, "Should we call someone?"
Jane shook her head, "This is an old building. They'll get us going again. And, hey, he didn't try to kill you, so… well, yet."
Maura smiled, Jane could always make her smile, "Yes. He has not tried to murder me. How are you and Casey doing?"
That gave Jane pause and she fell silent as she leaned against the back of the elevator. "I don't think that he wants to come home. I think that maybe- I mean, of course it wasn't gonna last, he was a High School thing that I thought…"
Maura put an arm around Jane and gave a squeeze, "You wanted to be loved."
"Yeah, stupid huh?"
Maura shook her head, "Not at all. Perhaps that's why I've gotten into these relationships as well. Quite a pair we are."
Jane smiled, then it turned into a frown, "Do you smell fire?"
oOOOOo
"Giovanni? What are you doing here?"
"Uhh…" He and Frankie stepped back as firefighters came stomping in. "What's goin' on?"
Frankie looked tense, "My sister and Maura are in the elevator, where there's apparently a fire as well."
Giovanni looked worried, "Whoa… that's…"
Frankie put his finger in Giovanni's face, "So help me man, if you say hot."
"Bad, wicked bad." He pointed towards the front door, "I should go, or-"
Frankie put a hand on Giovanni's shoulder, "Can you stay? Distract my Ma?"
Giovanni glanced towards the elevator, and back to Frankie, "Yeah, I guess- okay… Thank she'll have somethin' to eat?"
Frankie shook his head, "For you Giovanni, yeah, probably."
oOOOOo
"Vince, Sean, just tell me. One at a time."
Both the older men started talking together again. It was Giovanni who swooped in, saved her sanity, "Hey, most gorgeous Rizzoli, you got somethin' back there I'd like? I'm starvin'."
Angela sighed, "Giovanni, my daughter and Ma…"
Giovanni put a hand up, "I know, I know… that's why I'm here, to distract ya while these two gentlemen go bug the shi-"
"Giovanni… language."
"Ah… bug the snot outta those runnin' everything and see if they'ah okay."
The two men paused, then nodded. Both put a hand on one of Angela's arms and then left the cafe. "Thank you Giovanni."
"Course Mrs. Rizzoli."
"How about Ms. Do you think that'll work for me?"
"Most definitely Ms. Rizzoli. Ya know, Mr. Rizzoli is an idiot."
Angela smiled just a little, "So, something to eat?" Giovanni nodded and Angela leaned over and gave Giovanni a kiss on the side of his head, "Thank you Giovanni."
oOOOOo
The firemen spoke to the two gaggle of homicide detectives and Maura as his men got their stuff together. "Yeah, looked like some mechanical failure caused friction. Friction to fire…"
Jane nodded, "Fire- smoke. Got it. Thanks guys for saving our bacon."
The firefighter gave a tip of his helmet, "Always happy to help the BPD, especially as pretty a BPD as you are."
Jane chuckled, "Yeah, yeah, so says Mr. July."
The firefighter smiled, "Touche Rizzoli. So… when are you and the rest of these good for nothings gonna do a calendar."
"Probably right after hell freezes over."
The firefighter laughed and went to join his men. The other detectives dispersed as well, leaving Maura and Jane alone. "We should go check on Ma. Let her know we're alive."
Maura shook her head, "You go, I have…"
Jane gently cut Maura off, "She won't believe me. She'll just worry 'til she sees with her own eyes that you're okay." Jane threaded her arm through Maura's, "C'mon, it'll just take a second."
Maura let herself be led towards the cafe.
oOOOOo
Giovanni looked up as Maura and Jane came in. "Janie… you survived."
Angela rushed over to the two women and engulfed them both in a hug. "Oh, thank the Lord. Jane, Maura, don't ever scare me like that again."
Jane made a bit of a face, "Ah, Ma… I didn't really have a choice."
"Shush now. Sit down and I'll get you a muffin."
Maura opened her mouth to accept, but Jane beat her to it, "Ma. I'm alive. Maura's alive. We're fine, and we have work to do. I'll come by later on my break. We don't have time for muffins."
Giovanni smirked, "Isn't there always time for muffins." He paused for a moment, then threw his head back, laughing and laughing.
Maura and Jane shared a look, wondering what he was going to say next, and while they were looking at each other Giovanni jerked forward just a bit, and his red sauce wound up all over Maura's blouse.
"Giovanni…"
Giovanni put both his hands up, "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I can get it…."
Maura took a step back, "No. No, it's quite all right. Red sauce is not too difficult to remove." She turned to Angela, "I- thank you for worrying Angela, and I will take you up on that muffin sometime in the future, but, right now I do need to change out of this shirt and get back to work."
Maura moved off, and Jane started to follow after her, only stopping to whack Giovanni on the back of the head as she went past.
Angela stayed by Giovanni's table and studied him. "So, is this part of your plan?"
"Plan, what plan Ms. Rizzoli?"
Angela crossed her arms over her chest, "I know everything Giovanni. Especially when it comes to you. Spit it out."
Giovanni glanced over his shoulder, then around the cafe, "Yeah, okay, yeah, it is. I mean, now she has to change into scrubs or whatever right. And those, I mean, have you seen that ER show, or that Anatomy show. Scrubs," he smiled, "scrubs are hawt."
oOOOOo
Giovanni sat in the Dirty Robber with a frown on his face, and he rarely frowned, it just went against something in him. He was alive, he was healthy, he had a job, little money for beer and such, life was good. He wanted Jane and Maura to feel that too. But, he didn't know what to do. The elevator thing hadn't worked, and apparently the scrubs thing hadn't either.
Then, it came to him, like a bolt of lightning or some such thing. He pulled out his phone and dialed a number, "Yo, I need your help man. You still got those specialty… yeah, that's what I'm talking about. You sure that it'll go through okay? No, you gotta be totally sure man, totally sure. Oh…" He frowned, "But you've cleansed it since then? Okay. Yeah, I'm at the dirty robber." He paused, "Nah, down the street some. Yeah, it's legal… thanks man, I owe you."
oOOOOo
"No. Jane. Giovanni is not your responsibility."
Jane shrugged and took a swig of her beer, "I know, but, we grew up, and I just… he spilled red sauce on your unpronounceable shirt."
Maura smiled as she took a sip of her wine, "I have other unpronounceable shirts Jane."
"Oh, I know, and shoes too. But, still… Oh… Giovanni, whaddya want now?."
Giovanni said nothing, then in one quick move snapped a handcuff onto Jane's right hand and Maura's left and took a step backwards. "Giovanni, what the hell…"
Giovanni blew out a breath, held up a key, and swallowed it. After a bit of coughing he nodded. "There."
