Notes: Thank you to everyone for all of the comments! You all are awesome. So I've been working up to this moment for awhile now, this chapter is a bit lengthy but I look forward to your thoughts!
CH 11: A Mother's Touch
Everything was dark. It was amazing how in the absence of sight the other senses picked up the long unnoticed nuances of a familiar environment. The ceiling fan makes a rhythmic clicking at a certain speed and higher, most likely from a loose mounting screw. The second hand of the antique clock on the wall ticks quite audibly. There's a tree branch outside the bedroom window that needs to be trimmed back, it scratches the side of the house when a strong enough breeze blows.
Maura's eyes were squeezed shut, there was no point trying to open them what with the dark black fabric tied around her face. The sensation of her long eyelashes fighting the restriction created an almost unbearable itch that activated nerves across her face.
"Mmm" she whimpered, the pace of her breathing quickening.
Her head rolled from side to side momentarily until her dewy forehead pressed into her upper arm, she tried to satiate the itch under the blindfold by rubbing it against the only thing within reach, to very little avail.
She flexed her fingers; they were starting to lose feeling from being tethered over her head. She strained once more futilely against them before her fingers relaxed and again wrested on the cool steel of the cuff on the opposite wrist.
It felt like the hands roving across her body were coming from all directions, caressing, squeezing, occasionally short nails dug in and sent a shot of heat through her body.
"Hssssssttt," she breathed in sharply sucking air through her clamped jaw as the warm tongue that had been teasing her nipple was unexpectedly replaced by teeth. Her back arched and her hips bucked underneath the body that she couldn't see. She spread her legs and felt that body fall down between them.
"Lower…please…lower," she pleaded, her whole body felt like it was on fire, the throbbing in her core almost unbearable.
The body on top started to slink south. She felt hands slide excruciatingly slow from her breasts, down over her ribs, across her stomach, to her hips, then down the outside of her thighs, up the inside of her thighs, moving closer to…
The contact was gone. She pulled frantically against the restraints, the stark loss of sensation; this new type of tease only made her ache even more.
"You're…cruel…" she whimpered pathetically.
A sultry chuckle broke the silence. She felt shifting on the bed and then a lightly blown breath of air tickled from the inside of her knee, down her inner thigh and across her wet center.
"Mmmm," she moaned again as her toes curled into the bed, "Please."
The hot mouth that consumed her sex was electrifying, "Jesus!" she shouted out eliciting another throaty chuckle from the form between her legs.
A more than adept tongue stroked and massaged her clit, thrusting in and out every few down strokes. Maura rolled her hips involuntarily.
"There…there…" she instructed through ragged breaths.
Then, her phone started ringing.
"Dammit…Jane…phone…"
"Leave it."
"Mmm, oh God, mmm…it's my mother…" She was so close; she wanted Jane to finish.
"Missed…her…call…twice today already."
"Call her back," Jane said gruffly once again plunging her tongue into Maura's center.
"Mmmm! Just…Gimme…the phone!" Jane's teeth raked across Maura's clit and the sensation along with the stress over the phone caused her body to jerk wildly sending her knee crashing into the side of Jane's face.
"OW! Oww…mmm…you may me bigh mah tongue," Jane whimpered reaching for the phone, turning it on and holding it to her girlfriend's ear. She collapsed down on top of Maura, thoroughly irritated at the interruption.
"Hello" Maura said breathlessly.
"Hi Mom…oh, I was…exercising," it wasn't a lie; intercourse, especially with Jane was most definitely a workout.
"Yes…sorry I missed your calls earlier I got caught up in a case. Thursday night for dinner? That sounds fine. At your place? Well, I was hoping to cook. Oh, ok, well I'll send the ingredient list over and we'll have it ready when you and Dad get home. Oh, Jane that I've mentioned before, yes from the picture in the paper, she'll be joining us. See you Thursday night."
"Sorry, we'll be cooking at my parents' house Thursday night while they're at a board meeting at the Club…ok…where were we?"
Jane hoisted herself up straddling her still bound and blindfolded girlfriend, "Where were we? You just kicked me in the head! I have half a mind to go take a shower and leave you here."
"You wouldn't…"
Jane delicately slipped the blindfold off making sure none of Maura's hair was tangled in it and then released the cuffs. She massaged each wrist to help the blood flow return and then slid the gym wristbands off that had protected Maura's delicate skin from abrasion. Leaning down, she pressed their lips together, her tongue sliding easily into Maura's expectant mouth. The heat between them reignited almost immediately.
Jane broke the kiss, her lips hovering right above Maura's, "No, of course I wouldn't."
"I assume you'll be wanting me in a dress so, black dress or blue dress?" Jane hollered from Maura's closet where she had hung her garment bag.
Maura stepped into the closet, her lips pressed together as she made sure the lipgloss she had just applied was well distributed, "I bought you a new dress to wear."
"Ugh, Maura, either of these would have been fine."
Maura pulled a garment bag off one of the bars, "I know, they're both lovely but, I find shopping very relaxing and I just needed to distract myself and when I saw this on my lunch break I thought you would look beautiful in it."
She pulled the bag up and over the hanger to reveal a deep garnet colored A-line dress with a scoop neck and slightly off the shoulder cap sleeves; a darker reptile skin belt of a complimentary chocolate hue hung around the waist.
"Will the black shoes I brought be ok with it?" Jane asked.
"Absolutely not! But that's why I found a pair of shoes that match the belt almost perfectly." Maura smiled as she presented the dress to Jane.
It wasn't that Jane didn't like dresses, or how she looked in them; but she didn't always feel comfortable in them. It felt for the most part like the dress was wearing her and not the other way around. If she could have her way she'd feel most comfortable in a nice tailored pantsuit for dinner, she wouldn't even fuss about wearing some fancy heels with it. But, it was more important that Maura felt comfortable, and Maura would be more comfortable if she wore a dress. She took the garment with a placating smile.
"Wow…" Janes eyes widened as she took in the Isles' home, "I thought your house was big but you could fit your house inside this house."
"It's too big really, a great deal of unused space…quite frankly my Mother's taste is a bit ostentatious…" she paused, looking at Jane, "…Am I…like that? I mean, do people think of me like that because I like to dress nicely and have an expensive car?"
Maura's face grew sullen; every little thing was eating away at her self-confidence.
Jane reached out and put her hand on a drooping shoulder, "Hey, I don't know what everyone in the world thinks when they look at you. Quite frankly, I don't care. I don't think you're like that. You may like some nice things, things most people can't afford, but you're generous, you do nice things for your friends, you donate to charities…You're a beautiful person inside and out, that's what I see when I look at you."
Hazel eyes uttered a thank you that lips didn't need to speak.
"Now, let's get in there and make some Osso Bucco," Jane said in her most affected Italian accent, "I have to admit though, I can't recall my mother ever making this dish, we're not really a big veal-purchasing family so don't look at me for any cooking tips." She winked at Maura who smiled as she took Jane's hand and led her to the door.
Judith Isles had laid out the fine china in the formal dining room before she and her husband had departed for the Oakley Country Club. Maura found that all of the ingredients she had requested were purchased; in addition her mother had anticipated what type of cookware might be needed and had it all arranged on the counters of the kitchen. There were even two bottles of wine with a note: "Maura, I took the liberty of pre-selecting some wine based on the menu. ~Mom"
Jane looked over her shoulder as Maura read the note.
"She's very particular about her wine…"
"So that's where you get it from," Jane quipped.
Maura laughed, "Very funny, would you like a glass while we cook?"
They had about two hours to cook while her parents were at the club, but the veal took quite awhile and wasn't ready when Maura heard the sound of her mother's heels clicking across the floor of the foyer. Judith and William Isles soon appeared in the kitchen; Maura didn't have any pictures of her parents at her house and Jane found she was quite surprised at the image of the two of them. Judith was slightly taller than Maura, but rail thin, everything about her was severe looking. She had dark chestnut brown hair though a large chunk in the front had gone completely silver, all of it pulled back in a taut bun. Jane had to catch herself from giggling inappropriately as Judith's demeanor reminded her somewhat of Cruella Deville. She had a sharp face with prominent but refined bone structure, pencil thin lips and piercing blue eyes. Judith and Maura couldn't have looked anymore unrelated.
William Isles was a giant. Jane reckoned he was 6'5 or 6'6 and very fit for a man in his mid-60s. He sported a full head of perfectly coifed silver hair and a deep and booming voice when he spoke. He was of course, like his wife, impeccably dressed. Unlike his wife, William Isles had an inviting presence and a noticeable warmth seemed to emanate from the dusky blue eyes that smiled from behind a dignified pair of glasses.
Jane had always wondered if the distant relationship Maura described with her parents was truly accurate. She watched as Maura went to hug her mother. Judith's "embrace" was to place her hands on Maura's shoulders, lean in slightly and air kiss some distance from Maura's cheek. Her father was much the same, a one armed light squeeze around her shoulder.
"Mom, Dad, this is Detective Jane Rizzoli that I've mentioned," Maura motioned for Jane to step forward.
Judith eyed the tall detective, "That is a lovely dress."
"Oh, thank you. Maura actually picked it out."
"Yes, Maura does have lovely taste in clothing. She gets that from me of course," Judith replied with a slight smile.
"Speaking of, did you like the dress we had sent from Paris?" Judith moved back towards Maura and began looking over her as if inspecting her appearance.
The mention of the dress brought back the unpleasant memory of the coffee incident in front of the Dive Team and Maura felt a slight flush of embarrassment creeping up her chest at the recollection of it.
"Yes, I liked it very much."
Judith couldn't help but notice the red streaks that started to work their way up Maura's chest towards her neck, "Dear, do you feel alright you're flushing."
Maura moved her hand to her chest and felt the heat radiating, "Yes, it's just, there was an unfortunate incident at work with the dress and the dry cleaner wasn't able to get the stains out…"
"What's that?" Judith said noticing an unusual necklace hanging around her daughter's neck when Maura removed her hand from her chest. She stepped closer and hooked a finger under the St. Valentine's medal around Maura's neck that in her nervous state she had completely forgotten she was wearing while getting dressed earlier.
Maura glanced down, realizing she was still wearing the gift from Nonna, in fact she hadn't taken it off since Nonna had given it to her.
Perplexed blue eyes caught Maura's gaze, "William, I believe our daughter the Agnostic scientist may be Catholic now," she chuckled.
William stepped forward squinting through his glasses at the medal as he said jokingly, "And which patron saint are you petitioning for protection?"
Maura lightly lifted the necklace from her mother's hand, "It's St. Valentine of Rome."
"Ah, St. Valentine…" William said, "…patron saint of…love." The pitch in his voice raised as he said the last word with an air of questioning.
Judith Isles' eyes widened, "Maura, is there something you would like to tell us?"
Jane stepped in closer standing just behind Maura and to the side; Maura glanced towards her thankful for her presence.
"It was a gift."
"From?" Judith was growing more impatient.
"I thought perhaps we could have dinner first and then discuss it," Maura deflected.
"I think perhaps we should discuss it now. Maura, have you met someone? Who is he? Your father and I were so upset when it didn't work out with Garrett, I was starting to think you would be alone forever."
Maura shifted uncomfortably, this wasn't at all how she pictured the evening going. Her heart began to pound and for a moment she was sure she was in imminent danger of hyperventilating and passing out, until she felt the palm of Jane's hand rest lightly on the small of her back. The touch reassured her to go on.
"There is no he. The necklace was a gift from Jane's grandmother…" Maura reached behind her to take Jane's hand and bring it forward where her parents could see their fingers intertwined. "I wanted to have dinner with you tonight to introduce you to Jane, because Jane and I are seeing each other…we're together…Jane's my girlfriend." In the moment Maura couldn't think of what term of status to use, so she just said them all.
Jane squeezed her hand.
"Your…your…what…?" Judith stammered.
"My girlfriend. Jane and I are in love with each other, we've been in a relationship since right after the shooting and I thought it was time to tell you…"
"Since the shooting," Judith's voice was becoming increasingly more agitated, "Well, that explains everything. Don't you understand Maura, you're clearly having some kind of post-traumatic reaction to the shooting and it has resulted in you waking up one morning and all of a sudden thinking you're gay and in love with…with…this cop that you spend so much time with."
Jane fought the urge to step in; she knew that ultimately this was something Maura had to explain.
"I did not just wake up suddenly gay. I know this is confusing for you Mom. Believe me, it has been very confusing for me as well but the shooting has nothing to do with this. It just took the shooting for me to realize that I've been falling in love with Jane since the first day I met her." Maura looked to her father, desperate for some kind of parental ally, but William Isles stood silently deferring to his wife.
"Maura, you've never been particularly good with people, so it's not entirely your fault, but obviously this…woman…has seduced you for your money!"
Jane started to move forward to protest, but Maura tightened her grip on her hand and signaled with her body and a slight shake of her head for Jane to stand down, which she did.
"Mother, I won't even dignify that disgustingly false accusation with a response."
"This is unacceptable!" Judith growled.
A moment of clarity washed over Maura; recognition of the futility of further argument, "I don't owe you an explanation, and I'm not here to ask for your permission…" she stated calmly but firmly.
Maura saw the hand swinging towards her face but couldn't react quickly enough to do anything other than stand awestruck as her mother's hand slapped her squarely and forcefully across her left cheek. She turned immediately to restrain Jane who lurched forward. "Let's go," Maura commanded softly as red finger-shaped welts began to discolor her face.
The walked to the car, Maura's hand clamping down harder on Jane's with every step as if without the contact she wouldn't be able to go on. Once at the car Maura finally turned to look Jane in the face and the swelling emotion she had been trying quell inside the house breached; she fell forward into Jane's arms sobbing.
"Shhh, shhhh," Jane whispered trying to soothe them both. Every ounce of self-control she never knew she possessed had been summoned inside the Isles home. Blowing up, lashing out, that's what Judith Isles would have wanted and it wasn't what Maura needed. So, she had simply stood there, taken it and hoped her presence and a newly assertive quiet confidence gave Maura the strength she needed. Jane maneuvered the car keys out of Maura's still trembling hand and guided her to sit on the passenger's side.
Mirrors and seat adjusted Jane turned the ignition, she paused and looked over at Maura, silent tears still trickling down her face. Jane pulled out her cell phone and shot a quick message before reaching over to run her fingers lightly across Maura's cheek. She pulled her close and kissed where the evidence of the slap still lingered.
"I'm sorry…I should have known…" Maura started to say.
"You listen to me, you have nothing to be sorry for. I'm so proud of you."
Maura's face wrinkled up as she tried to fight the tears that were once again rolling down her face, "I love you," she managed to squeeze out.
"I love you too, let's get out of here."
Maura couldn't remember the last time she had cried so much. The emotion, like ocean waves just kept pounding, and with each wave a new tide of tears streaked down her burning face. Lost in the mournful onslaught she didn't even notice at first when Jane stopped the car in front of her parents' house.
"Why are we here?" She looked over at Jane but she was already out of the car and walking towards the passenger door.
"Come on."
Maura began to wipe frantically at her face, "Jane, please just take me home. I really just want to go home."
Jane reached her hand out, "Come on," she said again more forcefully.
"I look terrible, I'm a mess, I don't want your parents to see me like this."
"Maura, do you trust me?"
She looked up at the sincerity in Jane's eyes, "Of course I trust you."
"Then, come on."
Jane opened the door and Angela was on them in a flash. She grabbed Maura, enveloping her. Overwhelmed at first Maura's stiffness relaxed and she buried her face in Angela's neck as another volley of sobs clawed their way out. She wrapped her arms around Angela returning the embrace as soothing hands rubbed her back and stroked her hair.
"Shhh, shhh," Angela whispered in her ear, "You're my daughter now."