Hey thanks everyone one for reviewing. I really appreciate it. I have a short update here that will lead into my next chapter. Sorry to leave you folks hanging but I have been super busy. I just realized that if someone looked in my search history they would think that I am absolutely insane with the stuff that I look up for this story ha, ha. Any enjoy the fluff for the time being :)
Mothers
/
"Still?" Jane exclaimed in annoyance as she approached her desk and found it covered with pictures of her dressed as a sailor, dipping the nurse version of Maura in a sweet kiss. Harshly she began gathering the photos, creating a neat pile of them, "It's almost Thanksgiving and it stopped being funny after the first week."
"I don't know. I think it's still funny." Korsak laughed as he handed her a cup of coffee on the way to his post. Jane thankfully wrapped her hands around the hot mug to warm her hands from the freezing outdoors. It was about a minute away from snowing in Boston as the brief autumn gave way to an early winter.
"Yeah? Is that necktie a joke too?" The brunette smirked as she caught sight of his flamboyant accessory depicting a cartoon turkey hiding from some pilgrims. Korsak's complete lack of fashion sense was one of his endearing qualities but it did not stop the female detective from giving him some playful harassment from time to time about his shabby appearance.
"Hey, I'm just trying to be festive." Her partner defended but he still self-consciously toyed with the end of it.
"And you certainly are." Jane sipped her warm beverage. "What are you doing for Thanksgiving?"
"I'm driving up to my sister's in New Hampshire."
"That'll be nice. When was the last time you saw Carol and the kids?"
"Probably last Thanksgiving. Lord knows we don't get a lot of time off from this job."
"Preaching to the choir." Jane agreed though if the detectives were honest they would have to be dragged out of the precinct by wild horses to take a vacation.
"What about you? Are you spending Thanksgiving with the Doc?"
"Yeah, we are going to my parents." She sounded less than enthused.
"Is your Ma still giving Maura the cold shoulder?" He asked concerned.
"No, she's been a lot better." Jane shrugged. Her mother had recently been putting more effort into accepting her relationship with Maura. Angela used to struggle to bring up the medical examiner in conversation but just last week when they had a family breakfast, her Ma had causally asked about the blonde without looking like she was going to choke and actually been helpful.
"So how is Maura?"
Jane looked over in surprise expecting to find another woman in the place of her mother but only found her Ma sitting there cool as a cucumber. She felt it necessary to set down her fork to carefully answer, even her brother and father stopped shoveling pancakes into their mouths to stare. "She's fine."
"That's good to hear. Why couldn't she come this morning?"
"I… didn't know she could."
"Of course she can. Dr. Isles is welcome here anytime." Angela spoke in a way that made Jane feel like she was being scolded even though she was an adult.
"Well, she had this yoga class she was really excited for. I think they do it in a sauna or something." Jane quickly tried to throw out an excuse.
"Oh, Bikram Yoga. It's supposed to be very cleansing." Angela nodded as if she suddenly were a yoga guru.
"What do you know about it?"
"I know about stuff!" she snipped, "It was in my Women's Health magazine."
"I've never seen you read that." Frank chipped in. "I've never seen you read any of that junk mail we get."
"I do too." Angela nearly growled. "Maybe if you paid a little more attention to me and less attention to plumbing you would notice that."
"Right, well, she didn't want to miss it." Jane interjected to put a halt to the spat brewing between her parents. She fully anticipated the topic of her girlfriend to be dropped at this point but her mother kept going.
"So what are you two doing on your day off?"
"We don't really have anything planned. I want to watch the hockey game tonight so that means we'll probably get pizza and beer."
"Janie, you can't expect a classy woman like Dr. Isles to stay cooped up, watching men hitting each other with sticks and drinking beer with your smelly socks on her coffee table." Angela knew her daughter well.
"Maura won't be drinking beer. She'll have wine." Jane retorted smartly.
"That's not what I mean. You got to take her out some place nice. Some place where you can share a big plate of spaghetti with candle light and one of those violinists." Angela developed a starry-eyed look as she envisioned a romantic evening.
"Yeah, and I'll roll the last meatball over to her with my nose." Jane rolled her eyes. "Maura likes watching the game with me."
"Really?" Doubt dripped from her mother's tone, "You know she just does it because it makes you happy but a girl needs to be romanced every now and then. When was the last time you two went out?"
"Ah…" Jane could not remember. It had been a while since the couple had been able to get out. Work built up, they were too tired, or the game was on; the excuses were piled on for staying at home. The detective realized that she had become a bit complacent with her activities with Maura. The closest they had gotten to going out was to the Dirty Robber, which was decidedly unromantic when peanut shells littered the floor.
"Exactly." Angela looked at her pointedly.
"Look, I have my relationship under control." Jane turned back to her plate to finish her meal, hopefully in peace. She noticed Frankie chuckling at her expense and she was not about to let him get away with that. Narrowing her eyes at her brother, the eldest Rizzoli innocently asked, "What about you Frankie? Still seeing that secretary? What was her name Candi with an 'i'?"
"How did you hear about that?" He looked horrified.
"I'm a detective." Jane deadpanned.
"Frankie, you're seeing somebody and you haven't brought her home? What are you hiding?" Angela asked in a shrill voice. The younger Rizzoli glared at his sister while she just smiled at him over her orange juice.
Of course as soon as Jane had left her parents house she looked up the number for the sushi place that she knew Maura wanted to try. Jane had to use her title Detective quite a few times and had to resort to bribing. As it turned out the hostess had a lot of unpaid parking tickets that she promised to take care of but in the end she managed to get a reservation at 8 despite the fact that it was when the hockey game started.
Maura had been thrilled when Jane showed up to her house at 6 in one of her sharper blazers instead of her worn out Bruins jersey. She instructed the doctor to put on something nice before sweeping her away on the impromptu date. Jane had actually enjoyed the Japanese cuisine until she accidentally sent a piece of sashimi flying over to the neighboring table as she wrestled with the chopsticks. The brunette had apologized profusely while Maura made little attempt to cover up her laughter. Despite the detective's faux pas, it had been a wonderful evening out. It reminded her that she liked to go out with her girlfriend on her arm and show off the woman so to speak. It did not go unnoticed to Jane that many envious eyes turned onto their table as she unashamedly cradled Maura's hand in her own or the blonde would demurely kiss her cheek, the other patrons wondering why they did not look like they were so in love and gorgeous. Plus Maura had really appreciated her effort, and demonstrated that appreciation very enthusiastically later that night. Who knew her mother knew anything about dating a woman?
"That's good that she is trying." Korsak then wondered, "So why does it sound like you are being led to the gallows?"
Jane's demeanor turned very grim, "Maura's parents are coming."
/
"Yoshima, where are the results on the fiber analysis for Detective Miller's case?" Maura's exasperation leaked into her tone while she rifled through the unusual amount of files on her workspace.
"I've delivered them to Detective Miller already."
"Without showing me the results?" The blonde frowned as she turned to face the man who had a normally cool exterior but now he seemed to be sweating around the collar.
"They were just standard carpet filaments." He swallowed.
"I will decide if they are just standard carpet filaments." Maura ordered sharply, "Go get me a copy at least."
"Yes Dr. Isles." The Asian man hurried toward the door with his cheeks burning pink, unaccustomed to his boss reprimanding him. As he tried to bolt, he nearly ran into an amused looking Jane Rizzoli who was sauntering into the lab. She stepped aside and let him rush passed to fix his mistake.
"Scaring off another assistant?" Jane grinned humorously.
"No." Maura said a bit to briskly as she tried to achieve some order back to the miscellaneous paperwork, completely missing Jane's attempt at being playful.
"Okay…" Her girlfriend said cautiously. The blonde sighed with her shoulders deflating slightly. She did not mean to be short with Jane. Maura had been tense these last few days and today was simply not helping with the chaotic nature it had fallen into to. Her yoga session had been interrupted when she was called away to a body for Dr. Pike who had suddenly come down with a violent case of the stomach flu; meaning Jane was not even on the scene. The detectives on the case had been less than kind to her, and she even heard one whisper rudely 'Queen of the Dead' with a nasty tone. All of this exacerbated her the feeling of imbalance that seemed to throw the rest of her day off kilter.
"I'm sorry." She murmured. "I have a lot going on."
"Hey, come here." Jane tugged on her arm gently to pull the shorter woman against her. Maura gladly melted into her girlfriend's embrace as she pushed her nose into Jane's neck inhaling lavender and sandalwood. The detective began to massage the tense lower muscles of her back, "What's the matter?"
She did not speak right away as she gathered her thoughts, trying to pinpoint exactly what was wrong, "Dr. Pike is sick along with most of my other medical examiners. It seems no one is taking my winter health tips in the weekly email I send out seriously. Bodies are backing up in the morgue. I'll have to be here until late."
"I'm sorry. That's why you had to go out to Brighton?" Jane asked sympathetically.
"Yes, and those detectives were horrible and crass." Maura's hands unconsciously tightened into fists that pushed into the eggplant button down that she had snuck into Jane's wardrobe.
"Which detectives?" The brunette's voice edged on angry, "Was it Hanes and Kerry? Because I can-"
"Jane…"
"Sorry." The hot-blooded woman grumbled, not sounding particularly sincere then pressed more softly, "What is really the matter?"
Of course the detective would know that a bad day was not enough to dissuade her normally optimistic attitude. The fact that Jane knew was enough to make her feel a little bit better. Jane would always know; she would always understand. Maura braced herself to face the real issue that was bothering her.
"I'm afraid to see my parents." Maura said into the brunette's shoulder, recalling back to when she first started to feel the unrest that bubbled in her stomach.
"Dr. Isles." Maura answered her phone distractedly while trying to set her grocery bags down on the counter. She had just gotten home and she wanted to start dinner before Jane joined her but she did not have a lot of time.
"Hello Maura."
The doctor froze. She made a conscious effort to keep her voice even, "Mother, I'm surprised to hear from you."
"Can a mother not call her daughter?"
"Of course you can. It has just been a while." Maura remembered distinctly and painfully when the last time she had spoken to her mother on the veranda of the Fairfield's lavish home. Their words had been hurtful and Maura had fled before any resolution could be determined. The last thing she said to Constance was, 'I love Jane and there is nothing you can do to change that', before she stormed away. The blonde had debated calling to gain some reconciliation but as the days progressed she became more and more unsure. As much as she wanted to reach out, Maura stopped herself. For once she wanted her parents to contact her and show they truly cared. Each day brought a twinge of disappointment, then it became weeks and she began to lose hope until she eventually was numb to the experience. However, now her mother had called, and she did not have the faintest idea how to deal with it.
"Not as long as it has been."
"You're right." An awkward silence pressed against Maura, making her suddenly aware of how awfully quiet and still her house was. It was unnerving.
"Hey Maur." Jane came stomping in through the side door, causing Maura to startle. "I picked up some wine but I don't know- is everything okay?"
The taller woman stopped her train of thought and asked concerned when she realized that Maua was standing stiffly in the kitchen. Jane approached her quickly, looking worriedly at the doctor's round-eyed expression. Maura could only blink mutely at her until her mother's voice came through the phone, "Who is that?"
"It's Jane, Mother." The detective's eyebrows shot up in revelation as she leaned her ear close to the phone so she could listen. A hand chilled from the November cold slid to rest comfortingly against the small of Maura's back and the blonde relaxed into her girlfriend waiting for her mother to respond.
"I see." Constance said vaguely then continued, "I was just calling to invite you to Thanksgiving dinner. Your father and I will be visiting the Fairfield's and they offered to allow us to use their country club membership."
"I… can't. I- Jane and I are going to her parents house for Thanksgiving." Maura was stunned at the invitation. She had not celebrated a holiday with her parents in some years, not since her grandmother passed away when she was 16 actually. Any twinge of excitement or hope Maura got from Constance reaching out to her was tainted with suspicion. It was too convenient for her mother to be calling when she knew her girlfriend was located in Boston.
"So now your family comes second?" Constance asked coolly.
Maura squeezed her eyes shut, "That's not fair mother."
"Oh and it is fair for you to spend the day with that detective and not your own mother?"
The doctor flinched at the guilt trip. She had forgotten how good the older woman was at manipulating people into surrendering to her will. Maura copped out, "Everything is already planned. It would be rude of me to not attend. Perhaps the day before or after we could get together."
"We'll only be in town the one day."
"Let me speak with her." Jane abruptly took the phone out of Maura's loose grasp, not leaving any room for arguing. Maura bit her lip, a little dazed while she watched Jane, curious as to what she would say to the woman on the other side of the line.
"Hello Mrs. Isles?" The brunette said in an amiable voice that Maura had not expected. Though she knew what it was like to have Jane speak sweetly to her and she recognized that Jane was hollow with any true sincerity. "Yes, this is Jane Rizzoli."
Though Maura could not hear the other half of the conversation she was too nervous to tilt forward and listen as Jane continued, "Since you will be in town for such a limited amount of time, I agree, you should be with your daughter."
The blonde eyed her reproachfully. Maura would rather spend the day with Jane. But the detective ignored her expression, "Family is very important to me… and I think of Maura as my family."
The smaller woman's heart fluttered at Jane's confession as brown eyes bore into hers meaningfully. The brunette picked up Maura's hand and brought it to her lips and brushed a kiss over her knuckles as she listened to Constance reply. Maura suddenly had the strongest urge to kiss the detective senseless.
Jane suddenly grinned broadly and shot a wink her way, "Great, so it's decided. You and Mr. Isles will come to my parent's house for Thanksgiving dinner."
The blonde gasped and she could hear her mother through the phone as she rather loudly squawked, "Excuse me?"
Jane went on as if this were the most natural solution in the world, "I'll have Maura send you the address or we can pick you up at the airport. Which works best for you?"
There seemed to be some stuttering so Jane barreled on, "Well, you don't have to decide now, just let Maura know. I'm sorry we are starting dinner now actually so we have to go but I'll tell Maur that you said goodbye. I'm so glad you can join us. Bye-bye now."
Jane rushed off the phone and the blonde could only gape at her girlfriend. The brunette turned causally to the fridge, "I could use a beer after my day. You have any?"
The taller woman opened the stainless steel door without an answer and rummaged through until she produced one of the green bottles that Maura was sure to stock her refrigerator with now. Jane opened a random drawer and frowned, "Where is the bottle opener?"
She looked at Maura when she still had not responded, "What is with the carp expression babe?"
"Jane Rizzoli, what did you do?" she asked aghast.
"I invited your parents to Thanksgiving. Isn't that what girlfriends do?"
"Not my parents! And what will Angela think?"
"I'll take care of my mom. And we will figure something out with yours when she gets here, okay? Bottle opener?" Jane opened another drawer.
"You can't just figure out Constance Isles. There has to be plans, and an itinerary, and… meditation." Maura gestured helplessly.
"Okay, we will do all that but where is the bottle opener?"
"Here." Maura curtly ripped open the drawer next to her and grabbed the utensil and threw it across the room at Jane. The detective barely caught it in time before it would have hit her square in the chest. "I don't understand how you are being so blasé about this."
Jane's beer hissed open and she took a long swig before she answered her, "I don't know what basil has to do with this…"
Maura let out a light, unintended laugh at Jane's bad attempt at playing dumb. Her girlfriend smirked and moved across the kitchen back to where Maura was still standing, "But I know it will be okay."
"How do you know?"
"I know because I love you and that is all I need." Jane kissed her briefly on the lips and set her bottle on the counter to wrap her arms around Maura's waist.
"How do you do that?" Maura wondered astounded at Jane's audacity.
"Do what?" She brushed her nose against the blonde's.
"Make everything wonderful."
Jane shrugged, "It's a gift.
Maura came back to the present with Jane tucking an errant curl behind her cheek, "You remember what I told you right?"
"Yes," Maura smiled ruefully, "It's just difficult to keep in mind when you are not around."
"Well, then, I guess I will just have to be here all day."
"That would be the most logical solution." Maura bantered back.
"Well if the great Dr. Isles says it's logical than it must be." Jane chuckled.
"We will just have to figure out how to genetically engineer you not to talk." Maura mischievously shoved her away.
"Ouch, my feelings." Jane rubbed over her heart like it had been hurt.
"Dr. Isles?" Yoshima had humbly returned with a file in hand as he cowered slightly. Fortunately for him, her mood had improved greatly in his absence as she cheerfully took the paper work.
"Thank you." Maura scanned the document and squinted thoughtfully, "This is wool."
"Yes?" Her assistance nodded.
"Very high-quality. Not a lot of vendors would sell this kind of carpeting. It should be easy enough to make some calls and figure out which homes it has been installed in." Maura flipped it shut and handed it back to him, "Make a note and send it back up."
The young man looked flabbergasted that he was not currently being yelled at. Maura noticed him staring and looked confused, "Is there anything else Yoshima?"
"Ah, no. Thank you Dr. Isles." He was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth as he quickly departed once again.
"I wonder what that was about." Maura watched after him.
Jane laughed, "You got me."
/
Thanks for reading. And a shout out to my beta readers who really do not get enough credit from me because they rock my socks. Please review because we love to know what you think.