Ch. 3 pt. 1

"Janie, is that you? It's been so long I wasn't sure that was you." Angela calls out as she entered the home, the makings of a feast in tow. Jane rolls her eyes, not playing into her mother's guilt trip games.

"Let me help with those, Ma." Jane takes some of Angela's load off her hands. Sure, she and Maura had been in the proverbial "honeymoon phase" but, they hadn't specifically avoided Angela or the café. They simply chose intimate places for their meals during the week so they could gaze longingly at one another, away from prying eyes.

"Maura, honey. How beautiful you are since I saw you last." Angela exclaimed as she embraced her with such care Maura never knew a mother could possess until she met the woman.

"Well I don't think my features have changed much in the last week however, you could be reading my body language and may even be attuned to the flush in my skin or "glow" caused by the blood circulation from indulging…" Maura paused suddenly, catching a movement in her peripheral vision.

Jane gave a rapid shake of her head trying to stop Maura from saying too much only, it was much too late. The Rizzoli Matriarch had caught on with a grand smile creeping across her face. Honing in with laser sharp precision, Angela started in on the doctor.

"You know, I can expect it from Jane, but not you, Maura. How could you not tell me you were dating someone? Who is he? When do I get to meet him? You know I think of you as one of my own and a mother has a right to know who her children are being intimate with."

Earlier that morning

Jane and Maura had been awake and cuddling in bed after their night of pure love and romance. Sun rays bouncing throughout the bedroom.

"So, today's the day." Jane mumbled into Maura's hair at the top of her hair.

"Are you nervous?" Maura asked.

"Mmm…no." A pensive Jane replied after a brief moment.

"It would be natural. Through all the research I've done into the world of LGBT, nervousness is even a normal response before coming out to loved ones and friends." Maura offered in her most tender tone.

Jane sits up so that she would face Maura. "Maur, please know. I want you to know. I need you to know. I am in no way nervous about you or us."

Maura released a deep breath she didn't even know she'd been holding. "I'm so glad to hear you say that, hon."

"Hon?" Jane questioned with a side glance.

"Not a suitable pet name?" The doctor chewed on lip feeling dejected.

"I actually really like it. Say it again." Jane bumped her shoulder to Maura's.

"Jane…" Blushed the other woman. Jane started to kiss at Maura's neck but was stopped.

"Jane, how are we going to broach the subject with your family. Do we tell them individually? As a group? If we tell each person separately, we should start with your mother."

Jane had only thought about how her family could or would respond. She hadn't really considered how exactly she would let them know.

"Do you think we should tell my ma, before anyone else? She does hate not being in the loop on things." Jane searched for the answers in her doctor.

"She does like having the advantage of prior knowledge but, maybe letting them all know at the same time would be best. Power in numbers? If even one accepts us as a couple, that's one more person to help the rest see we belong together."

Feeling a load lift off of shoulders, Jane said, "that's why I love you. You're so smart and wise and know just what to say to make me feel so good and safe."

"Okay. So we're settled. The plan is to tell everyone together." Maura looked to Jane for confirmation.

"Yes, sweetie. Game plan is set." Jane put the subject to rest with a kiss to Maura's lips.

Present time

Angela had thrown Jane and Maura through a loop. They had come up with a plan to tell everyone at the same time. In part, to try to divide and conquer if need be but, mostly, though they didn't need to say it out loud, so they wouldn't have the stress of repeating the same details in several different ways to different people.

Surprise and fear shot through Maura's eyes at Jane. As if Maura had asked Jane to help out loud, Jane jumped right into action, not knowing what was going to happen, only, she had to do something. Anything.

"Ma!" Jane scolded. Hoping to get Angela to let loose her line of questioning. "Could you please tear your claws out of Maura. I'm sure that she had every intention of involving you in her life changes. You just walked in the door. Give her a chance to breath." Jane immediately looked to Maura to see if she had given her any relief.

Maura seemed to have lost some of the fear but questions still lingered.

"Jane, Maura is a grown women who is perfectly capable of speaking for herself. " Angela began and was interrupted by Jane.

"Ma."

"You know, Jane. I didn't forget how you did all you could to avoid me this week. Maybe the reason you're so focused on me finding out who she's seeing is because you, yourself, have been keeping something from me." With her mom switching focus onto her, Jane was now the one looking to be saved and Maura charged into action.

"I'm so sorry to interrupt you Angela however, Jane and I planned a surprise for this evening and we need to go prepare for it. We will get to any questions you have at dinner. Jane." Maura nodded to her shocked and impressed girlfriend to follow her in to the foyer.

"Oh my.." Jane pulled Maura's face into hers and connected their foreheads. "You were brilliant! But, how are you not freaking out right now, or going vasovagal? We don't have anything to prepare."

"Jane, you used the correct term for my condition!" Maura exclaimed.

"Hon. Focus. We don't have anything planned." Jane redirected the conversation.

"On the contrary, Jane. Now that your mother has latched on to both of us, we're going to need a new game plan or at least make alterations to our original plan for telling everyone about us."

"Yeah…I know you're right but, is it bad that all I can think of right now is taking you against this walnut credenza?" Jane motions to said piece of furniture.

"Oh, honey, you're not alone." Maura adds, sharing in Jane's desires.

"I really do like hearing you call me that." Jane smolders at Maura.

"Alright, focus. We need to get our things and go somewhere before Angela calls our bluff." Maura states and begins grabbing her purse and Jane grabs her keys.

About an hour after their departure, Jane and Maura had regrouped and decided to proceed with their original plan. The break gave them a chance to one, escape Angela's scrutiny and two, solidify their plan. Both women had decided they had been naïve to think they could just blurt out they were dating and that would be enough. Tact being their number one priority, they had practiced a few opening statements and even possible responses. All in all, they felt much more prepared for their big reveal.

Entering the home was an odoriferous occasion. If Maura and Jane had not been feeling good before they walked in, Angela's culinary prowess would've been enough to turn them around entirely.

"I don't know how you do it, Ma but, you're lasagna smells better every time you make it." Jane proclaimed as she entered the kitchen and kissed her mother on the cheek in salutation and appreciation

"Well, I believe the adage, 'practice makes perfect' is a good way to answer your confounding question, Jane." The ME offered in her informative way.

Jane and her mother just shared a knowing look. A look that said Jane was simply extending a compliment to Angela and that the perceived question was rhetorical in nature. But, they had come to recognize Maura's obliviousness at times of such social mores and for Jane, these moments had been a big part of her attraction to the doctor.

As soon as the exchange was over, the door bell rang and Jane answered, finding both her brothers, Tommy, Frankie, and her partners, Vince Korsak and Barry Frost. All parties shared greetings and carried in their own contributions to the gathering in the form of beer and wine.

"Perfect timing, fellas, food is done and ready to serve." Angela said and she removed her apron and showered her boys with affection and welcomed her daughter's partners that she had been accustomed to sharing her family's tradition with.

Table set and all family members seated comfortably, Angela took her cue to lead the table in her long established custom of prayer. Salad, bread and lasagna were shared amongst all as well as stories of the past week and highlights form various sports games that day.

Jane and Maura had been sitting in their normal adjacent seats only this time, both women having the knowledge that they shared their most intimate desires, found it difficult to keep themselves from ravishing one another in from of everyone. This tension only reminded them they would be giving the most important speech of their lives.

As if Angela knew what had been going through her girls' minds, she addressed the two, "Now Janie, what surprise did you and Maura have planned for tonight that kept you away for so long this afternoon?"

Jane and Maura collectively inhaled, grasped each other's hand under the table, nodded to one another and stood up.

A/N

I am really really sorry to leave you all with a cliff hanger. I just, wanted to get this out because it's taken so long to finally get to the dinner. I also wanted to keep some consistency with the length of the chapters and this ended right around the same amount as the last one. But the story is flowing in my head and I want to get part two out ASAP, possibly even by tonight. Thanks so much for the support!