Full disclaimers on Chapter 1.

Stop NOW if DRAMA/TRAGEDY is NOT something you are interested into reading, or if it is a bad trigger for you.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Rizzoli & Isles nor any of the characters from the show. I am writing this purely for entertainment, not profit. Rizzoli and Isles are property of Tess Gerritsen and TNT.

I am not a native English speaker, and I don't have a beta. So all mistakes are 100% mine.

Enough of disclaimers and warnings – read at your own risk. Reviews are always welcome!

Chapter 90

Constance put the letter on the table. She realized she had, without noticing, picked the box of tissues from the table, while reading, and had a crumpled tissue in her hand. She dabbed at her face, and exhaled loudly.

She understood better than ever now why Maura and Jane clicked so well together. Maura was a precious pearl, but deeply hidden within her shell. And Jane, with her human observation skills, and her directedness, had found a way to slowly open that shell and expose the pearl for the world to see.

Constance folded the pages and put them gently into the envelope, standing to walk to the kitchen.

A delicious smell took over her senses.

"Hmmmmm… I smell salmon, and herbs in butter?" Constance asked.

Maura turned her head over her shoulder.

"Yes, mother. I hope it is okay? I also have salad and quinoa. It is not a multi-course meal, though."

Constance chuckled.

"I don't need a multi-course meal, Maura. Can I help you with anything?"

"You could pick the wine to pair with it, maybe?" Maura motioned her mother towards the electronic winery on the corner.

Constance eyed the bottles and picked one she thought would be perfect. She then proceeded to open it so it could breathe.

Maura plated their food, and put the places for them to eat.

"It is very improvised. We should have gone out to have dinner." Maura apologized when they sat, sure this was not up to her mother's standards.

"This tastes delicious, Maura. You are not doing yourself justice. Please… You don't need to feel all tense. Relax, this is really good, I am enjoying it." Constance reached a hand to squeeze Maura's hand over the table.

Constance asked a bit more about the ingredients Maura had used, surprised on how delicious the meal really tasted.

"I never realized you knew how to prepare these things."

"I actually enjoy cooking, mother. Following recipes is a relaxation for my mind." Maura commented, picking up the used plates to set them in the dishwasher.

Maura placed a plate of fruits and cheeses and crackers for dessert, so her mother could continue enjoying her wine.

"Did you cook a lot in these past twenty months?" Constance wanted to know more, but was unsure how to ask without hurting Maura.

"I did." Maura replied, gently. "We were keeping isolated. Angela or Tommy would buy groceries and leave by the door. When they visited, they would gown up and wear masks. We did everything we could to prevent Jane getting any infection."

"I understand it was a successful approach in that sense."

"In twenty months, Jane had only two minor infections. They were still very significant given her immune system state, but having only two situations far apart really contributed for us having as long as we had with her." Maura said, and Constance noticed the sad tone in her voice.

"I read her message." Constance began. She knew Maura was too polite and too respectful to ask.

Maura looked at her from over the rim of her glass. Recalling how Jane had confronted her mother, she imagined the message could have gone either way. She regretted a bit not having read the message to her mother before, but she knew she would never do it even if she could have done it.

"Jane was very special." Constance added gently, and saw Maura's eyes well with tears.

"She was…"

"There is a lot of the message that is for my eyes only, but there is a part of it I would like to read to you."

Constance realized she would never tell Maura the things Jane had figured out. She doubted Jane had shared those with Maura, knowing it would have likely hurt Maura's feelings. But she wanted Maura to hear what Jane had told about her.

So Constance picked the envelope, opened the pages, and went to the very end:

"Thank you for having raised the most wonderful person I have ever met.

She is the most kind, and generous, and loving person I know. I will never be able to thank her for all she has done for me and for my family in the twelve years since we met.

I will never be able to thank her enough for putting her life on pause for twenty months to take care of me.

But I want you to know I am forever in debt and grateful for having her in my life – I only survived this long thanks to your daughter.

Please, take good care of Maura while I am not here. And please don't let her shrink back into herself. She is the most precious being in this whole world, and her light must keep shining."

Maura swallowed, hard. She didn't want to break down in front of her mother. Again.

"Even in death, her care is for you, darling."

"It always was. It always will be." Maura said, her voice breaking.

"And I intend to fulfill her request… Do you have any plans for the next three weeks, Maura?"

"I… No… I…"

"Tell me…"

Maura exhaled loudly.

"It is okay, Maura."

"I don't have any plans, mother. I am living day to day. When the pain is too unbearable that I doubt I will even get to tomorrow, I vouch to live for the next hour." Maura admitted, tears rolling through her cheeks.

"I understand, darling. You need time to heal, too. Come to California with me, please… Change the scenery for a few weeks. Spend time outdoors. I will be staying by the beach, but Laguna does not only have beaches, it has hiking trails too. You will have the weekdays to yourself, but the evenings and weekends are ours to do whatever you want."

Maura didn't reply, and Constance thought if she had botched it like she had done about the Dirty Robber earlier.

"Unless California is another place you can't imagine to go without Jane…" Constance continued, threading carefully. The last thing she wanted was to upset Maura even more.

For Constance's surprise, Maura chuckled among her tears. "No… Jane hated California."

Constance smiled gently at her. "So will you think about it?"

"I will think about it, mother."