Notes: Ok, thanks everyone for the suggestions you've posted about future chapters, I like this interactive component! I've definitely got some ideas for a few more chapters.
CH 15: Pilgrim's Progress
Fall had barreled into Boston leaving a wake of half-naked trees in its path. In only a few weeks November would bleed into December and the first snowfall would come. The thought of it made Jane sick to her stomach. Fucking snow. But that was a thought to come back to in a few weeks' time, right now Jane really wished she'd worn more than a long sleeved t-shirt for the early morning run Maura had talked her into. As they passed a coffee shop Jane ducked inside. It was several businesses past the cafe before Maura realized Jane was no longer with her.
"Jane!" Maura exclaimed upon entering the coffee shop and finding her girlfriend standing in line.
"Maur…" Jane whined, "Early…cold…need hot beverage."
Maura laughed as she rolled her eyes and went to secure a booth for them. Jane joined her shortly after, a cappuccino for herself and a chai latte for Maura.
"Thanksgiving is in a couple of weeks," Maura said nonchalantly, blowing some of the steam from her drink.
"Mmm, I love Thanksgiving, food…football…booze. Might be my favorite holiday." Jane continued sipping her coffee until it dawned on her Maura probably had a reason for bringing that up. She looked up to find a pair of intense hazel eyes staring at her. "Oh, obviously you'll be coming to Ma and Pop's with me for Thanksgiving lunch, the whole family will be there. We rotate who hosts, it's Ma and Pop's turn this year."
Maura raised an eyebrow and cocked her head.
Jane was confused, "What?"
"Aren't you going to ask me what I usually do for Thanksgiving?"
"Shit, Maura I'm sorry. I didn't even think…You've never mentioned much about holiday traditions I just assumed we'd be going to my parents' house for lunch."
"We've always gone to Thanksgiving dinner at the Club, my parents and I. We can still go to your parents' house for lunch but my mother called the other day to ask if you would be joining us for dinner so she can make the reservation."
A look of terror was plastered across Jane's face, "At…the country club?"
Maura smiled and nodded.
"Dammit."
Maura leaned back against the chair as she crossed her arms over her chest and frowned.
Wrong response Jane. "Oh! Sweetie, no, not 'dammit' like I don't want to go, 'dammit' like I'm probably going to be a complete embarrassment and mutilate another fish head at the table or something and your mother will be horrified and oh God she's gonna hate me even more." Jane slammed her head into her arm on the table.
Maura chuckled, "Jane…" she reached out and stroked the dark sweat-slicked hair, "…first of all, my mother doesn't hate you, she's really trying and I think she's been doing quite well and second, the Club serves turkey on Thanksgiving just like everywhere else, I think you can handle that with minimal catastrophe."
Jane lifted her head and rested her chin on her arm, looking at Maura with doe eyes she asked, "Will they have the football game on?"
"I don't think so Jane."
"Thanksgiving plans Frost?" Korsak asked as he prepped his third cup of coffee of the morning.
"Yeah, going to my mom's, my brothers and their families will be there. You?"
"Nah, I volunteered to work. No wife, no kids, might as well let you guys with actual families have the day."
Frost smiled, "Thanks man, tell ya what, how about I bring some of my mom's cooking by your place when you get off. She makes some mean collards, oooh, I'm tellin' ya."
Korsak chuckled, "Sounds good, I'll have some beer at the house if you wanna stay for a bit, watch the game."
"Yeah, won't be able to hear the game at my mom's for all my brothers' rugrats running around anyway."
"Awww, your very own bromance…" Jane joked from her desk as pencils were lobbed at her from both Korsak and Frost.
"Whose turn to host this year, Janie?" Korsak asked.
"Ma and Pop's."
"When you're done, why don't you and the Doc come over and watch the game with me and Korsak."
"Can't, lunch with my folks and then dinner at the Club with Maura's parents. And after that if I'm not completely incapacitated from the food coma I plan to go home and try to recover with as much booze as possible from the innumerable ways I will probably have embarrassed myself in front of Maura's parents and all of their country club friends."
Maura began to stir but was thoroughly immobilized by Jane's vice grip around her body. The more she wiggled the tighter Jane's arms constricted around her. A long lanky leg coiled itself around Maura's leg. Lips pressed to Maura's shoulder followed by quiet breaths tickling the tiny hairs on the back of her neck.
"No moving, comfortable just like this," Jane said huskily.
Maura giggled and struggled futilely to disentangle herself from Jane. "I have to get up."
"Why?"
"The Thanksgiving Day Parade comes on in ten minutes."
"You're kidding me, right?" Jane leaned over to engage sincere hazel eyes.
"I watch it every year."
Jane captured Maura's lips softly, rolling her onto her back Jane's hand stroked at the soft skin of Maura's stomach. "That's too bad," she whispered between kisses, which traveled down to Maura's neck, "I was going to show you what I was thankful for today."
"Oh," Maura said, caressing Jane's back with one hand as she guided Jane to straddle her with the other, "Our very own Thanksgiving tradition."
"Mmmhmmm." Jane began to suck vigorously at Maura's neck as she pulled Maura's pajama bottoms down. She paused only long enough to pull Maura's top off and her own clothes before returning to nip and suck at her girlfriend's pulse point again. Strong legs wrapped around Jane's hips and rocked against her.
"God, Jane…" It hadn't taken Jane many lovemaking sessions to figure out that Maura's weakness was her neck. "Jane…" Maura dug her fingernails into the strong tan back of her lover. "Jane!"
Panting and aroused Jane reluctantly released Maura's neck and looked at her questioningly.
Maura was flushed and already glistening with sweat, "On the list of things that might permanently ruin any chance of you having a good relationship with my mother, giving me a hickey on my neck when we have to go to dinner at the Club tonight might rank pretty highly."
Jane started kissing down Maura's body, "Gotcha, hickeys…only in…easy…to cover…places." She kneaded at one of Maura's breasts her mouth hovering near the other, "How about here?" Maura arched her back and wound her hands through Jane's hair as she drew the hardened nipple into her mouth.
"Jane…"
"Hmm…" Jane breathed out between reverent kisses to the crevice between Maura's ample breasts.
"…Come up here, I want to touch you."
Jane slinked up Maura's body and captured her lips again as both of their hands sought out the wet heat of the opposite body. Maura wrapped her legs around Jane again to press them more forcefully inside each other. Jane gasped, her ragged breath rolling in waves over Maura's neck and ear.
"Maura…" Jane huffed, "…faster." She wrapped her free arm under Maura's neck and panted alluringly into her ear as their mutual rhythm quickened. Jane came first; contracting around Maura's fingers she added a third finger to Maura's core and thrust back into her sending Maura over the edge with a gasp.
"Happy Thanksgiving," Jane whispered as she relaxed down on top of Maura, nestling her face in the crook of her girlfriend's neck.
Maura kissed Jane's closed eye as she wrapped her arms around her, "Happy Thanksgiving," she whispered back.
Thanksgiving lunch with Jane's family was a wonder to behold. Maura had thought the spread at Nonna's birthday was vast but the Thanksgiving buffet was positively unreal. The vast majority of the family was from Angela's side but Frank's brother and his family were there as well. Aunt Sophia's disdain seemed to have tempered some and Tommy made sure to stay well away from Maura. Nonna was as vibrant as ever and regaled Maura with more stories from her youth. As Jane gave everyone her regrets for having to skip out a little earlier than usual to go home and get ready for dinner at the Club Maura felt a twinge of guilt. Jane's family was warm and inviting. Maura didn't feel awkward around them in the least; that realization wasn't lost on her, there was a level of comfort with being a part of Jane's family that she'd never felt with her own parents. And here she was dragging them away from that.
"I'm sorry," Maura offered in the car on their way back to her house.
Jane wrinkled her nose, "For what?"
"For making you leave your family early."
"Maura, don't be ridiculous. We're in a relationship now; that means two sets of parents to satisfy. Besides, we didn't leave that early, everyone will be clearing out of there pretty soon or lapsing into unconsciousness."
"Perhaps next Thanksgiving, we can kill two birds with one stone, what if we brought my parents to your family's lunch? Then we wouldn't have to shuttle ourselves around. Besides, I adore your family. I very much enjoy these large gatherings with them."
Jane smiled, "I think my family might actually like you more than me." She laughed.
Maura chuckled, "Even Aunt Sophia?"
"Well Aunt Sophia and I never got along so I'm pretty sure she gets along with just about anyone more than me. Besides, Maur, what's not to like about you? All of this actually reminds me, Ma's been pestering me about when she and Pop are going to get to meet your parents…do you think….we should do that soon?"
"I think so."
Jane ran a hand through her hair as she glanced over at Maura, "That's bound to be an interesting evening."
Maura nibbled on her lower lip and raised her eyebrows, "I am a Doctor; I could probably procure some tranquilizer darts if needed."
Jane snorted, "Maura, don't be ridiculous. A crushed up valium in my Ma's wine glass should more than do the trick."
"Wow, this is really beautiful," Jane remarked as they approached the Oakley's clubhouse. "Ok, we need some kind of signal if I start embarrassing you or your parents, like, you could pull on your earlobe or if we're sitting next to each other just kick me under the table or something."
Maura shook her head with a smile of amusement on her face; she reached and took Jane's hand, "Just relax, you'll be fine…even if you should do something mortifyingly embarrassing, I promise I'll still love you."
"Not helping Maura."
Maura giggled as they approached her parents who were waiting at the door for them. Judith looked down nervously at Jane and Maura's intertwined hands. Maura caught her mother's sightline, "Mom…we talked about this."
Judith took a cleansing breath and managed a smile, "Yes, we did. Shall we? I got an advanced glimpse of the menu, I think we're in for quite a treat." They all proceeded into the clubhouse. "Jane, how was lunch with your family?"
"It was great, I think we'll have leftovers for a week."
"Ahh, leftovers." William Isles mused, "That's the only thing I don't like about coming here for dinner each year, no leftover turkey for sandwiches."
Judith looked at her husband and then at Jane, "I did used to cook for Thanksgiving, William you always said my turkey was too dry."
"It was," he said matter of factly.
"William!"
"What! It's the truth."
Jane and Maura both laughed, "Dr. Isles, Maura and I have enough leftover turkey to feed a small army, I think we can spare some if you'd like some for sandwiches."
Jane was surprised at the number of people there for Thanksgiving dinner. It never occurred to her that people didn't eat Thanksgiving meals at home. Dinner wouldn't begin for about 45 minutes so everyone was congregating in the clubhouse bar, drinking and socializing. Jane accompanied William to the bar to order drinks, as they returned a particularly dignified looking older woman and undeniably handsome young man were chatting with Judith and Maura.
William Isles leaned over to address Jane quietly, "Oh, good, we'll get the worst out of the way right off the bat. That is Claudia Chesterfield and her son Gregory. Judith has tried hopelessly for years to hook Maura and Gregory up. Maura went on one date with him a year or so ago."
Maura couldn't hold back the smile that spread across her face as Jane returned and handed her one of the two Cosmopolitans she was carrying. William and Claudia exchanged pleasantries and then Claudia immediately began eyeing the tall but impeccably dressed brunette stranger.
"And this is?" She asked.
Maura started to speak but Judith launched into the introduction before she had the opportunity, "Claudia, this is Detective Jane Rizzoli from the Boston Police Department. You might have seen her picture in the paper with Maura a little while back receiving the Medal Of Valor from the Commissioner…" Judith paused, "she's…Maura's partner."
"I didn't realize Medical Examiners had partners?" Claudia looked at Maura.
Jane nervously downed a slug of her drink. Maura smiled, "Mrs. Chesterfield, what my mother means is that Jane is my girlfriend." She reached out and placed her hand on Jane's forearm letting her thumb stroke lightly back and forth across it in order to drive the point home.
Claudia Chesterfield's eyes grew wide as she stared at Maura and Jane, and then to Judith and then to her son Gregory. "You don't mean…Judith, this is quite brash."
"Brash? I'm sure I don't know what you're implying, Claudia," Judith replied indignantly.
Gregory Chesterfield placed his hand on his mother's arm, "Mother, I believe I see Helen Morrison, weren't you saying earlier you needed to pass on your condolences over Arthur's passing." With a nod of his head, Gregory managed to lead his mother away.
Judith downed the last of her martini in one fell swoop causing Maura's jaw to drop, "I think I'm going to need another drink."
William reached for the empty glass, "All things considered with Claudia Chesterfield, I thought that went quite well."
Maura wanted to laugh but tried to hold it together, but as soon as her mother cracked a smile and laughed while nodding in agreement with her husband Maura joined in.
"I never did like that woman." Judith looked at Jane and her daughter, "I can't believe I ever tried to fix you up with Gregory. My God, what if you would have married him, we'd be stuck in a family with Claudia Chesterfield"
Claudia had no qualms with outing Maura to anyone willing to listen and by the time everyone was seated for dinner the stares and whispers were more than obvious.
"Doing ok?" Jane asked.
"Mmhmm," Maura responded allowing her hand to rest on Jane's thigh under the table. "How are you doing? Not too uncomfortable I hope."
"Nah, I just keep telling myself everyone's jealous because you're not available anymore."
Maura laughed leaning in to kiss Jane chastely on the cheek. The comment was not unheard by Judith, who allowed a slight smile to form.
Maura's parents walked them to the car after dinner. William and Judith gave Maura their customary semi-hugs and air kisses and then, to Maura's surprise, gave Jane the same. "Jane, I'm glad you could join us," Judith remarked.
"Thank you for inviting me, the food was delicious."
Maura again reached for Jane's hand, satisfied despite the comments and looks from the other club members that the evening had gone well and that her mother was seemingly warming to Jane. "Perhaps next year we can all just have Thanksgiving lunch with Jane's family," Maura slipped in.
Judith Isles smiled, "Yes, that might be nice."
William Isles sat in his office the following day furiously putting the finishing touches on a manuscript that was due after the weekend. His concentration was broken by an unexpected knock on the door. It was after all the day after Thanksgiving; there were no other faculty or students around.
"Come in?"
"Dr. Isles…" Harold, one of the campus security officers poked his head in, "special delivery from a Detective Jane Rizzoli of Boston PD." He handed over a plastic bag and then left shutting the door behind him.
William Isles untied the bag to find several pounds worth of Thanksgiving turkey leftovers and one preassembled sandwich in a Ziploc bag.
"Haha…" he laughed out loud quickly extricating the sandwich from it's plastic wrapping and taking a bite. "Mmm, now that's a turkey sandwich. Well done Maura, this one looks like a keeper," he muttered under his breath.