I decided to keep with it. No idea how many chapters this will be. I'll just update it as I go along, I think.
"I'll have the number 3 with scrambled eggs, cheese, bacon, and whole wheat cinnamon toast. I don't really want the butter. Can you bring my some jelly instead?" Jane finished her order and took a sip of her coffee while she waited.
"I'll have a number 2. Eggs whites only, please. Instead of hash browns, I'd like a cup of fruit." Maura smiled agreeably at the server who took down the order and promised to return quickly with their meals. "I've always liked this place. It has a certain charm to it," she said brightly as she glanced around the small diner.
"Charm? I think that's the cook you're smelling," the detective gave a wink over the brim of her coffee mug.
Frowning, Maura added a hint of creamer to her coffee as she berated the woman across from her. "That is … I don't even have words for how unappetizing that makes the food here. Must you do that?"
"Hey, you knew what you were getting into when you agreed to be my… my…" The words stopped just short of actually coming out, and the normally assured husky voice cracked. "Well, you know."
"No, I don't," an evil grin graced the doctor's face. It was clear she wasn't going to make things easy. "Your what? Your best friend? Your coworker? Your yoga partner? Your what, Jane?"
"Really? Are you going to make me say it right here in the middle of the restaurant?" The distinctive sound of a lanky leg bouncing under the table was the start of various indicators that told everyone within eyeshot that Jane Rizzoli was nervous and a little scared.
"You've already claimed me in front of someone, but I won't force you to say or do anything that you're not ready to do," hazel eyes fell to the table. "It's okay. It was only a tease."
"No," Jane shook her head, sitting up straighter in her side of the booth as she did so, "it's not okay, Maura. I mean, thank you for being understanding, but this is just something that I need to work through how I work through things."
Maura frowned deeply. "You have a tendency to act and then deal with the consequences at a later time."
"Hey," a scarred hand shot out to wrap around one fine boned wrist. "Do not ever think I went into this without thinking about. It's all I've been thinking about for months now. I've thought about all the consequences, and, honestly, they don't matter compared to being with you. Last night wasn't just something I jumped into without thought, okay? You mean a lot more to me than some random, last minute decision."
The detective was rewarded with a weak smile. "That means a lot to mean to me to know that. Thank you."
"I think I'm the one who should be thanking you for waiting for me to get my act together. Hold on a second." Standing, Jane nodded to indicate that Maura should scoot over. Despite her confusion, the smaller woman did so, and the detective slid into the booth beside her. Draping her right arm across the back of the seat and over Maura's shoulders, she settled in and pulled her coffee cup to her. "Better." She leaned over to lay a gentle kiss on the still stunned face of the doctor. "So you want to talk about how we're going to tell Ma?"
"I… yes, but first I want to talk about what just happened." Maura shifted to lean a bit more on Jane. "Are you sure you're okay with this? There's no question about our relationship if we sit like this, Jane."
"I know, and that's the point. There's some beefy guy in the corner that's been eyeing you, and I don't like it." Jane pulled the smaller woman in closer to her. "I promise I'll try not to be too territorial, but you know I've always hated it when I see people undressing you with their eyes."
Smirking, Maura quietly shot back, "You do it all the time."
"Yeah, and now I can do it for real, and the rest of them can bite it." The smile on Jane's face beamed. "I've always said that being gay wasn't any different than being straight except both people have the same parts, so I'm walking into this like it's any other relationship because it is."
"So you always wrapped your arms around your boyfriends like this?" Maura's voice held a lilt of amusement at the husky grunt she received for her teasing.
"No, but I never wanted to. I want to hold you. If you're not okay with that, then…"
"I'm more than okay with it. If we have issues from others, we'll deal with them as they come."
As the server brought their food, they reluctantly pulled away from each other and began to discuss how to handle Angela Rizzoli.
"Ma?" Jane's voice echoed through Maura's house. "Are you in here watching Bill O'Reilly again?"
"I was until you came in here screaming," Angela sat up on the sofa and turned to face her daughter. "Hi, Maura."
"Hello, Angela," Maura gave a little wave. "We were wondering if you had a few moments? There's something Jane and I wanted to discuss with you."
"Of course; hold on a second and let me just turn this off." Angela stood, turning the television off and then walked into the kitchen to sit down at the island. "What's on your mind, girls?"
Uncomfortable and clearly anxious, they looked to each other before Jane began to speak. "Ma, I don't know how to really start this off. I mean, I know you tell me I can tell you whatever, but sometimes that's not so easy."
"Are you kicking me out?" The elder Rizzoli's face dropped into a horrified expression as she looked to the doctor.
"No! No, of course not," Maura reassured. "I meant it when I said you could stay here as long as you needed. Angela, please, just bear with us a moment. This is a new situation, and…"
"Has something happened with Tommy? Jane, is he in jail again?"
"No, Ma, as far as I know, Tommy's at work." Her daughter gave an exasperated sigh. "Ma, could you just…"
"Is it Frankie? Is he hurt again? That job is going to get you two killed one of these days." Angela was starting to roll into full on panic mode.
"Okay, I'm going to have ask you to stop." Crossing her arms and leaning against the cabinet behind her, Jane rolled her eyes. "Nothing's wrong with Tommy or Frankie. Everyone is fine. This is about me, okay? Well," she shrugged, "it's about me and Maura."
Looking from one woman to the other, Angela asked quietly, "What about you?"
"Look," her daughter glanced down for a moment to compose, "I don't really know how to say this gently, but I wanted you to hear it from us and not through the precinct grapevine." Swallowing the lump down, Jane quietly told her mother, "Ma, Maura and I are dating each other."
"I thought those were just rumors." Deflated, Angela sat back on the stool trying to take in this new information.
"It was until yesterday," Maura gently explained. "Jane was finally ready to move forward, and so was I."
"I don't really know what to say," Angela muttered before clamping her jaw closed.
For a long moment, they were quiet as the younger women waited to see what would happen. Finally, Angela spoke, voice rougher than normal, weary. "We've always been good people, Jane. We're Catholic."
Jane hung her head, unable to look her mother in the eye. "I know, Ma." Maura placed a hand on Jane's arm to comfort her but remained quiet. Her presence was there as a show of support and, if need be, she was there to mediate.
"But," Angela continued on, lost in her thoughts, "with your father filing for divorce and Tommy's record and Frankie almost being a father himself, maybe I didn't do as good of a job as I thought raising all of you like I should have."
"No, Ma, don't do that. You and Pop both did everything you could. We're grown, and you can't be responsible for the decisions that we've made after we left the house. You did good. I mean, sure, Frankie can get annoying, and, yeah, I know I can be a pain in the ass, but we're good people. We are, and Tommy… Tommy tries." Jane stepped toward her mother, voice full of sympathy. "Me dating Maura doesn't make me a bad person. I'm still the same person I was two weeks ago or two years ago."
"Except you're sleeping with another woman," her mother said, voice sounding tired. "What do I tell people when they ask? How do I explain this to the family? Father Marcos is going to excommunicate you, Jane."
The detective shrugged, "Maybe, but how I live my life is really between me and God. You know I haven't been to church in a long time. Maybe it's time I found a different church? One that accepts me…"
"A different church? You mean, convert? To what? You're not going to go off and start practicing witchcraft or something, are you?" Her mother balked, leaning slightly away from her.
Behind her, Jane could hear Maura stifle a chuckle. "No, I'm not going to start practicing witchcraft. Where do you come up with this stuff? Besides, what difference does it make what church I go to as long as I go?"
"But you haven't been going!" Angela wailed, shaking her head.
"Yeah, well, maybe that's because I didn't like what they're saying. If your church is saying you're going to go to Hell for something you really can't control, you're probably attending the wrong church." Pinching the bridge of her nose, Jane took a moment. "I can't control who I'm attracted to, and I don't want to keep pretending to be attracted to people that I'm not."
"What are you saying? Are you telling me that you've always wanted to date women?" Her mother's voice went up an octave, eyes wide with surprise.
"I… I don't know that I'm ready for this," the detective muttered.
"You don't have to say anything you're not ready to say or don't want to say," Maura replied as she stepped forward to place a reassuring hand on Jane's back. "Angela, what matters right at this moment is what all of us will do with this information going forward. You live in my home, but it is my home, and, though you are always welcome here, I hope you know that I'm not going to hide my relationship with Jane while you're present."
"I never said you should!" The elder Rizzoli was defensive.
"No, you didn't, but I want to make it clear where I stand, and I think it's only fair that you tell us where you stand." Maura could feel Jane tensing, breath becoming shallow as she prepared for the worst.
"Okay," Angela nodded, "my only daughter walks in with her best friend and tells me she's dating her. My youngest son is a convict and a recovering alcoholic. My middle child wants to be just like his sister, which is why they've both been shot, stabbed, and nearly died. My husband is divorcing me because he's bored with me, and I'm working for a man who can't stand it when the doughnuts touch." She closed her eyes, swallowing hard. "But, my children are all healthy," she continued, eyes still closed, "I have a job. I have a place to stay, and I think I'm getting close to being able to move out. I have good friends. My children have good friends." She opened her eyes to look at the doctor. "Things could be worse," she said quietly.
"Yes, they could," Maura nodded.
"I think," Angela said as she stood up, "that I don't understand it, but I've seen a lot in my years, and I've known a few gay men. Their lives weren't easy. Jack died of AIDS, you know." Jane nodded. "I loved him like a brother, but I never approved of his lifestyle, but, looking back, I don't think it was the fact that he was gay. I think it was because he never settled down." Walking to the sofa to pick up her cell phone, Angela dropped it in her pocket and turned around to again face the other two women. "I love you, Jane. You're my child, my only daughter. I'd love you if you shot someone in cold blood. My love for you is unconditional; you know that. But I think I'm going to need some time."
She turned to the doctor. "Maura, thank you for letting me stay here, and I'll deal with anything that might make me uncomfortable as long as I'm here. You're right. This is your home, and I'll respect your rules. That's only fair. The divorce is… the divorce," she swallowed hard, wiping at her eyes, "is almost final, so I'm thinking that it'll only be a couple of more weeks before I can move. It looks like I might actually get the house, which would be nice. It's paid for. Would it be too much to ask if you two would at least warn me if you want to plan a night alone? I don't think I could handle walking in on that right now."
"I…" Jane blinked. "I have an apartment," was the only thing she could bring herself to say.
"We'll be discreet when we should," Maura assured. "Is there anything we can do, the three of us, to make this easier to adjust to?"
"No," Angela shook her head. "No, I just… I need some time, that's all. I think I need to pray on it."
"That's fair," the doctor nodded. "You should know that we plan to tell a few others – Frankie, Tommy, Vince, and Barry. We think it's only fair they know from us, just as we thought it was fair that you know."
"You're the first, Ma," Jane's voice was just above a whisper, her face showing the pain she was feeling at how distraught her mother clearly was.
"I'm glad you told me," Angela said as she walked to the back door. "I'm going to bed." With that, the backdoor closed with a quiet click.
"Oh my God," the detective groaned, "I think I just broke my mother's heart."
"She's just in shock, but I think she'll be fine. She didn't overreact or disown you as we feared she might. I think we should give her the time she's asked for and respect her need for some filtering of our relationship." Maura took Jane's hand and pulled her to the bedroom. "Come keep me company while I pack a few things."
Jane blinked, trying to follow the quick change in subject. "Pack? What are you packing?"
"Some clothes, toiletries, and such to take to your place. As you pointed out, you do have an apartment, and it's far less likely one of your relatives would walk in on us during a moment of privacy than here right now. Come on, I'll let you pick out my lingerie," the honey brunette said with a wink.
Smirking, Jane rushed passed the other woman. "Why are we still standing here?"
Thanks for reading. I always appreciate reviews.