"Damn it, Maura!" Jane tightened her grip around her girlfriend's petite waist.
An oopsidaisical "Sorry" was underscored by a soft chuckle.
"Babe, if you're gonna blindfold me, at least be careful not to injure me. Otherwise I'm taking this off."
"Uh-uh-uh. My rules, remember? Just be patient, I'll get you there."
With a shivering huff, Jane continued to yield to Maura's lead, unable to even put up a proper fight against the adorable excitement exuding from the blond.
This was a week in the making – an entire week of constant harassment and hint-dropping from her boss and lover until Jane's resolve finally caved in and she let the woman take her out on a date. She even promised to do whatever Maura asked, without 'much' protest, given the incentive that it would all be quite worth it in the end. Her date, her rules.
So the brunette wasn't surprised when Maura came knocking on her door late that Saturday morning, but Jane still couldn't help the smile that spread across her face at the sight of her with that cute little picnic basket and blanket (which she could have just as easily left in the car, but then it wouldn't be Maura) and that ta-da! grin on her radiant face. And right off the bat, it was already so, so worth it.
It was really a beautiful day too; perfect for enjoying the outdoors. They had a great time just sitting in the park in each other's company as they ate, talked and laughed… and kissed a bit, feeding the pigeons brave enough to venture near them. But after packing up a couple of hours later, when Maura announced that their date wasn't over yet, Jane just knew they would be going to some museum or activity that would probably lull her to sleep after lazing in the Sun for so long. Even then she had played along anyway, content with just being with this amazing creature all day long.
What she hadn't anticipated was the blindfold and then being driven around for almost an hour with no clue as to where they were headed. She actually did sort of dose off a little until they reached their destination. And there they were; Maura guiding her blind girlfriend out of the passenger seat, only to immediately let her slam into the side of the car.
With Maura's plea for patience, Jane grumbled under her breath that she had been patient for the better part of an hour now and it was no secret that this trait was not one of her virtues. Using some of the detective skills she had picked up while working at the BPD, the assistant called upon her remaining senses. She could smell popcorn and corndogs... The fair! No wait, it's April not October. She could hear other people. They were all laughing and talking adamantly. Listening harder she could distinguish bits of conversations. "They're so big!"… "Mommy, I'm scared of it."… "I wanna get on one," were a few snippets among many whirling around them as they continued on slowly. The zoo? Then why would we have driven so far away from the city?
They stopped moving and Maura slipped out of her reach.
"Maur?"
"I'm right here," her voice drifted directly into Jane's ear from behind. Removing the sliver of silk from her eyes, she whispered, "I hope you like it."
Jane gasped at the sight before her. Tilting her head up to the sky, she was greeted by the sight of dozens of hot air balloons. Some were already hanging wirelessly in the atmosphere while others were being loaded and unloaded to pick up more people. She looked from left to right and observed the people happily taking pictures of the large aircrafts. A small tug on her hand brought her eyes back to her girlfriend, who was suddenly sporting a nervous look.
"Well…? What do you think?"
Jane swallowed thickly. "It's…" she trailed off. She actually thought they were beautiful. The sun was still high in the sky but beginning to set, and that, offset by the colorful balloons and buoyant ambiance made the entire scene simply breathtaking. She was touched that Maura put so much thought into creating such a unique date for them. But there was one problem: those balloons were just so damn high. And that was a different type of breathtaking.
With her girlfriend's prolonged lack of verbal response, Maura's enthusiasm dimmed and was replaced by a blush of embarrassment. "You hate it, don't you?"
"I- No! It's not that, it's just…"
"It's your acrophobia, isn't it?"
"I'm not afraid of acrobats," Jane replied, struggling not to roll her eyes at her own attempt at changing the subject with a lame pun. Maura didn't seem to notice though.
"Heights. You're afraid of heights," she clarified, leaving no room to run or hide.
"I'm… not even gonna lie. I'm terrified, but-"
"That's entirely okay! I remember how anxious you were on the flights to and from L.A. and I know this is a big deal for you, even though I'm unsure why, but I was hoping that perhaps because these don't fly as high as airplanes…"
"That I'd get on that death trap anyway?" The tall woman couldn't help but interrupt.
Maura tried for an understanding smile, but Jane could tell she was a little disappointed. "No, you're right. I didn't think it through."
"Hey, it's not that I don't like it. You know that, right?"
"I know… I guess I just wanted the opportunity to do for you what you did for me."
Jane stared at Maura, her face softened by the blonde's sentiment. "And what's that, baby?"
Maura took a deep breath, having practiced her next words a few times already. She wanted this day to be special and memorable but she wanted something else too. "You helped me get over my own fears, Jane. My fear of being alone, for one… as well as my fear of starting anew with someone else. After all I've been through, you made me realize it was okay for me to ask for what I wanted and needed and you've given it all to me without too much protest," they shared a smile, "You showed me a side of the world and myself that I could only ever dream of and I want that for you too. Even in this little way, I want to help you get over your fears so we can be fearless together."
"Oh, babe…" cooed the younger woman.
Maura could tell that Jane was touched by her words, but the flicker of apprehension as she flitted her gaze between Maura's hopeful face and the cheerfully colorful death vessels gave her, her answer.
"It's okay if you're not ready though. I just thought that it would be nice to be your rock for once." She shook her head at herself, laughing timidly. "You know what, never mind. Let's go. Maybe we can catch a movie or something," she shrugged, failing to meet Jane's eyes.
Having expected Jane to follow her as she walked away towards the car park, Maura stopped when a gentle hand caught her wrist instead, only to find that Jane hadn't moved. In fact, Jane looked like she couldn't be moved if you paid her.
"I don't hate it," she reiterated intertwining their hands. And she didn't hate it. Not what Maura was trying to do, at least. "I think it's adorable and you're wonderful for trying to help me."
The smile slowly reappeared on Maura's face. "Really? So you'll try it?" When Jane only nodded, jaw firmly clenched, Maura's excitement spilled forth in genuine laughter. "Oh, thank you! I promise everything will be okay. I'll be right by your side."
After leaning up for a chaste kiss on Jane's cheek, she tugged on her hand and led her to what looked like the biggest parachute Jane had ever seen attached with tiny strings to an oversized picnic basket. As they drew closer, she could feel her stomach tighten. She had never told anyone about her fear of heights, not until Maura, and now she almost regretted it.
Just looking at the behemoth made Jane tense, but her girlfriend didn't seem to notice as she tried to distract her with facts and figures about cubic centimeters and air pressure in thermal airships and the trillion to 1 chances of anything going wrong or whatever... Jane didn't hear a thing as she contemplated just taking off back to the car like her hair was on fire.
But then again, she couldn't freak out in front of Maura. Between being Cave-Man Jane, Steroid Jane, and Best Dad Jane, she wasn't about to let go of her badass status in the eyes of any Isles. Not to mention how much sharing this experience seemed to mean to Maura, who meant a hell of a lot to her. And she truly did trust her to make sure nothing bad happened to either of them up there. No, I can't chicken out.
"Jane?"
So lost in thought, she hadn't even noticed that they were now onboard the evil contraption and slowly rising into the sky. Taking a deep breath, she slapped on a smile and turned to the woman.
"Are you ready?" the blonde asked, running her hands up and down Jane's arms to hopefully provide some sort of comfort.
Jane nodded. She rotated her girlfriend so that they were both looking out at the view, then placed her hands on either side of her, gripping the sides of the basket tightly. In this position, it was easier to pretend. "I'm ready," she mumbled before they set off.
Maura, on the other hand, felt great watching the people on the ground slowly shrink into an ant farm as they ascended in altitude. Settling back against Jane with a content sigh, she was oblivious, which is the way Jane preferred it. The higher they went, the more pained Jane's grimace became, to the point where her grip on the basket was so tight that her hands turned achingly white.
And then suddenly, soft music filtered in through their ears from the speakers above them. Maura gently rocked from side to side after gently covering Jane's hands with her own. This felt so good and right to her and she felt the urge to connect with the woman behind her. The taller woman startled a little when Maura turned to face her but she automatically returned the playful smile she was greeted with; she couldn't help it.
Wrapping her arms around Jane's shoulders, Maura swayed them in rhythm with the music. Strong hands traveled up to clutch her hips and press her body into Jane's. She really liked it until the grip became less steadying and more vise-like.
About to address Jane's clinging, she witnessed the most horridly twisted expression covered on her face. Jane had her eyes screwed shut like her whole life was flashing before her eyes which rocketed her lover's concern.
Maura came closer and smoothed her brow with her thumb, but Jane didn't budge. "Jane, it's okay. Just breathe."
Without opening her eyes, Jane's face relaxed slightly and she nodded her head. She took a deep breath through her nose and released it from her mouth.
"Can you look at me?" Jane instantly shook her head with a grunt. "Please?" Maura urged gently.
Eventually, Jane cracked one eye open and focused on her. The vision of the dusk sun playfully bouncing off blonde curls and the concerned smile on the other woman's face convinced Jane to open the other eye as well. She mustered her own semblance of a smile, but just as she was about to promise she was fine, she had a glimpse of their surroundings.
"Shit." They were just so high. Her chest began to heave and her grip on Maura intensified. When a pop from the fire above them rang out, Jane flinched, squeezing Maura even tighter.
"Sweetie. Hey, look at me." Maura leaned back, taking tan hands in hers and pulling them to her chest. "Are you okay?"
Jane gave an awkward chuckle. "Y-Yeah. I'm fine. I just gotta… calm down a bit."
Maura wrapped Jane's strong arms back around her waist and lightly stroked them up and down. Looking back at the operator, who already had his hand on the lever, she instructed him to take them back down.
"Yes, Ma'am, but it'll take a few minutes before we reach the ground."
"No." Jane spoke. Maura looked back at her girlfriend who was staring solely at her. "No. Not yet."
The blonde shook her head in awe. It was fairly obvious that Jane was having a terrible experience but her tenacity never ceased to amaze Maura. "You must hate me."
Jane's laughter was nervous but genuine. She shook her head. "No, I don't hate you. This date has been amazing so far."
Maura blushed. "Really? You don't have to say that just to make me-"
She was silenced with a kiss. Pulling away, Jane gathered enough courage to finally look past Maura to the sky. The beautifully colorful sky. She found a calm in the way the blue gently bled into the red; how the orange and yellow mixed together, almost like two lovers intertwined, painting the sky with their passion. Like her and Maura. "You know, I fell out of a tree once… broke my arm."
"Is that what triggered your phobia?" Maura hoped talking about her fear would help Jane start to get over it like her research indicated.
"Yeah, but there was something before that." The brunette could feel herself relaxing. Maybe there was something to this therapeutic talking thing. And it wasn't that the phobia was a big deal to her or anything, she could have quite easily gone her entire life avoiding situations with extreme heights, but with Maura she at least wanted to try. Bringing her eyes away from the sky, she focused on quizzical hazel in front of her.
"When I was in school, I wasn't the… best behaved student. And uh… one time there was this fly… and a window was broken… and anyway, I got in trouble so Sister Winnie the Poop made me-"
"Sister Winnie the Poop?" Maura echoed.
Jane snickered and shrugged her shoulders. "That's what we called her. Anyway," she turned Maura in her arms again feeling more confident and nuzzled the back of her neck. "As punishment, she made me clean all of the outside windows of the cafeteria… even the high ones. I told her that I would do anything else, even begged for a month of cafeteria duty, but she wouldn't allow it. Said I needed to 'learn a lesson'.
"So, I was up on this ladder and when I was almost done I saw this little bird in the gutter above me. He looked like he was stuck. So I was gonna try to free him, and I did, but just as he flew off the roof, I lost my balance and fell."
Maura gripped the arms around her waist tighter.
"I ended up with a concussion and I've been afraid of heights ever since. But when my brothers dared me to climb a tree a few months later… I mean, I'm the big sister. I couldn't say no. Broke my arm but I retained my badass rep. Frankie even wrote on my cast that I was like a superhero flying, not falling."
Maura turned toward her girlfriend and stroked her jaw with the tip of her finger. "I hope you know that being scared of heights doesn't make you any less 'badass' in my eyes."
Jane shivered. "Yeah?"
"You're the bravest person I know."
Jane snorted. "We need to get you out more."
"I'm serious. You're up here with me, aren't you?"
Jane looked around, only then realizing that she wasn't so afraid anymore. "I guess I am… But that's thanks to you. You make me brave."
Not being able to help her blush, Maura gave in to the urge to kiss her girlfriend's smiling lips, her arms around Jane's neck. Following her lead, Jane returned the kiss gently, savoring the rush that came with the moment they were sharing. She was never that great at handing control over to someone else, but if she ever had to, it would be to Maura. This experience cemented that fact.
Maura hummed as they pulled apart, yet remaining in their little bubble. "So I take it you're feeling better."
"I am. This really is a beautiful date. Thank you… I think telling that story actually made me feel better."
"I can't believe you risked your safety to help an innocent bird."
The brunette shrugged. "I couldn't let the little guy die."
"You must have been a great role model to your brothers."
"Ha! Tell that to Ma."
A quirk of a well-groomed eyebrow challenged Jane. "I will," she retorted, "when I finally meet her."
"Careful what you wish for, Isles. I don't wanna scare you off just yet with the crazies. You're too important to me."
That's when they realized they were back safely on the ground and the operator was patiently waiting for them to disembark.
Clearing her throat, Jane grabbed Maura's hand, leading her out of the basket. Just as they reached the car she looked over to the older woman who had a strange look on her face. "What?" she mumbled.
"That is so…" Maura placed her hand over her chest, "I think that's so sweet."
"Oh, God. Maura…" she playfully rolled her eyes.
"You want to protect me from your crazy Italian family. That's very cute, Jane, but you needn't worry."
"First you call my family crazy..."
"Quoting you…"
"Then you say I'm cute… I'm never cute."
The blonde's eyebrows raised and she looked up to the sulking assistant. "What you mean is that you're not supposed to be cute." An indifferent shrug of the shoulders was all she got. "You're supposed to be big strong Rizzoli. A badass, huh?"
The expletive slipped so easily from her mouth as she pressed closer to Jane and placed her hands on her chest. She knew exactly what she was doing to Jane, having noted her earlier reaction to it.
"Maura." Jane warned, looking around to see if anyone noticed.
The architect smirked at her. "Right." Maura grabbed on to Jane's collar pulling her down. With her lips brushing over Jane's ear, she whispered, "Well, why don't you take me home and show me just how much of a badass you are, hm?"
"But the kids are-"
"At their father's until tomorrow night. It's Saturday, Jane… We have all night."
Leaning back, it took less than a second for Jane to make her decision. Maura giggled at how fast Jane opened her door for her before running to the passenger side and sliding into the car and buckling her seatbelt all in one motion.
"Tick-tock, woman!"
"Well, don't you look beautiful."
Maura found Alice standing at the threshold of her bedroom with her head and shoulder resting against the door frame. She smiled in reply, patting her dress down before running a hand through her hair. "What do you think?"
The teenager walked further into the room, circling her mother and taking her appearance in. The older woman had decided to go with her favorite simple green dress with a slightly low neckline, but not revealing at all. It stopped just above the knee, accessorized with a diamond bracelet and a diamond necklace that was framed by her perfectly styled curls.
Walking over to her mother's dresser, Alice picked a tube of lipstick and applied it onto her Mom's lips before standing back. "There. Absolutely perfect."
Maura still seemed unconvinced as she consulted the mirror and fussed over her hair. She saw her daughter in the mirror looking at her with a strange look. "What is it? Is my makeup too dark?"
"No…" She walked over to pull Maura's hand away from her face. "You look great. I've just never seen you like this."
"Like what, sweetheart?"
Alice shrugged her shoulders, playing with one of her mother's curls. "Nervous… happy-nervous."
Maura sighed. "I am a bit nervous. What if I don't make a good first impression?"
"Okay," Alice laughed, "this is definitely a talk a mother gives her daughter. Why do we always do things backwards? Mom, they are going to love you. I mean, who wouldn't?" The older woman raised a brow as they both had the same thought. Your father. Daddy. "Okay, what sane person wouldn't love you?"
She at least succeeded in making the older woman smile.
Maura's phone rang twice and they both knew what that meant.
"Your girlfriend's here." It sounded weird to both of them every time Alice dropped the g-word, which is probably exactly why she did it so often.
"Do you mind getting the door? I have to get something from the kitchen."
"Sure."
Being that the couple still hadn't told Jake about their relationship, they all thought it best to not alert him that his favorite person was at his house. The ladies silently made their way downstairs and Alice opened the door to reveal a dashing tall brunette.
"Hey, Sunshine," she smirked, hands casually pocketed. "How are you?"
"Well… I'm still grounded, so take a wild guess."
Jane chuckled. "Glad you're having fun then." Ali rolled her eyes. "Your Mom ready?"
"Yes, I am," said Maura appearing from around the corner toting a bottle of wine.
"Wow. You look… wow."
"Thank you," Maura said graciously before self-consciousness crept in. "You don't think I'm overdressed?"
"I think you're completely overdressed," Jane admitted as she pulled the woman closer to her and kissed her soundly on the lips. "But still perfect… and completely sexy," she whispered so only they could hear, making Maura giggle and go in for another kiss when they heard a groan followed by a gagging noise. Pulling away, Jane bit her lip trying not to laugh.
"What's that, Ali?"
"Nothing, I just noticed that at least you guys aren't matching this time."
Jane cleared her throat, making a big show of pulling up her pant legs to reveal emerald green socks. Maura gasped as Alice threw her hands up in the air.
"How did you know?"
"Last week I heard you mention you might wear this dress."
The blonde woman smiled. "And you remembered? You are so sweet."
"No, you're sweeter than I am."
"Impossible. You're just the sweetest woman alive."
"Not for as long as you have a pulse because you're pretty damn sweet, babe."
"Oh, but Jane-"
"Oh, my God!" said Ali, "You're both so sweet you're giving me a freakin' stomach-ache. I think I might actually puke."
"Alice Grace Faulkner!"
"Yeah, yeah. Sorry." Alice interrupted as she practically pushed the both of them out through the door. "Now go. And have her back by midnight."
"Hey, wait a minute. Isn't your curfew at one in the morning?"
"Well, technically, but right now I am still on punishment so let's all suffer, shall we?"
Looking over to Maura, "Really?" said Jane. It had been a month and a half since the party incident."Isn't that like a little harsh, Maur?"
At Jane's horrified look and her daughter's pleading one, Maura sighed and shook her head. "Fine. I suppose you've learned your lesson. You are officially off punishment." When Alice began jumping excitedly up and down she was quick to continue. "But you still have to stay home and watch your brother tonight… Your iPad is upstairs on the top shelf of my shoe closet."
"I know! I-I mean… Great." The girl squealed and hugged her mother. "Thanks, mom! Now go before you're both late."
"If anything happens, call me immediately. I mean it, Alice." When the girl schooled her features and nodded her head, Maura began to walk toward the car while Jane lagged behind.
She smirked and leaned close to the teenager. "You're welcome. I think that makes us even." Before the girl could respond she was gone, jogging after her girlfriend to grab the door for her.
Maura watched as a slightly shaky hand reached out for the doorbell. "It'll be fine." The door swung open and in the doorway was a woman that could only be Angela Rizzoli. The woman's hair was lighter than that of her girlfriend's, but their smile was the same. The bright Rizzoli smile.
"You must be Maura!" Maura's handshake was soon crushed between the two women, as Angela brought her in for a warm bear hug. "Finally!" She exclaimed patting Maura's head and swaying them side to side.
"Ma!" Jane tried to separate them, but her mother was relentless. She only pulled back to place kisses all over Maura's face. The blonde woman could only stand there in the embrace with a grand smile of her own. "Okay, Ma…" Jane once again attempted to pull them apart when she was suddenly slapped on the hand.
"Jane Clementine Rizzoli, you kept this gorgeous woman from me for three months! Not another minute longer."
"Okay, first of all, it's only been two months and second of all, can you take it down a notch, please? You're scaring her."
Angela's eyes widened as she looked back over to Maura who was straightening. "Oh, sweetheart. Why didn't you say something?"
Maura looked from Jane to her mother and smiled shaking her head. "I'm fine, Ms. Rizzoli."
"No, no, no. Call me Angela."
Maura nodded smiling and a silence covered them. The blonde felt a little uncomfortable as Angela smiled and continued to stare at her. When Jane saw her starting to fidget she took her hand.
"Okay, can we take this awkward meeting inside?"
Angela's smile turned into a scowl and she said, "This is not awkward." Turning back to her daughter's girlfriend the smile quickly returned to her face. "Come in Maura. Come meet the boys."
Walking into the Rizzoli home felt exactly as the architect would have thought. She looked around the warmly painted walls and examined the multitude of pictures hanging on the walls. They ranged from the Rizzoli children playing football in the backyard to a more recent picture of them all in front of the television.
"Tommy, Frankie…get in here!" At that moment the two guys came barreling out of the kitchen half sweaty. Angela tisked at them. "You couldn't even let up for one night while we have a guest."
"Oh come on, Ma. Frankie thinks he can play better than I can."
Jane laughed. "Right. And who won?" Tommy's face grew red as he looked away from the teasing pair. Maura who was slightly standing behind Jane walked a little closer placing her hand on her back. "Brother," she said summoning Frankie, "This is my girlfriend, Maura…Maur this is my little brother Frankie."
The middle Rizzoli tried to pick his jaw off of the ground, but was struggling big time. He couldn't help looking at how beautiful this woman was. Her hazel eyes were brought out by the clingy green dress that draped nicely on her body. Clearing her throat, Maura raised her hand for a hand shake. The man slightly shook his head and reached for her hand.
"It's nice to meet you, Frankie."
"Uh…yeah. You too."
Tommy looked up to his brother and silently whispered, "I told you." Shrugging him out of the way he quickly took her hand and gave to a long squeeze. "Nice to see you again, Maura."
"You too, Tommy." She smiled lightly and retrieved her hand with a little resistance. She could feel Jane tense beside her and smirked. Stepping closer to the taller woman, she wrapped her arm around her waist. Both Rizzoli men looked at both women and then each other.
"Again?" Angela chimed in, looking at her daughter. "What does he mean again? You let your brother meet her before your own mother?"
"Ma, chill. It wasn't planned." Tommy said.
"As if you'd tell me if it was." She said rolling her eyes. "Anyway. Dinner is ready. You guys took so long making out in the car that I finished."
Jane groaned and put her hand over her face. Maura could only laugh. It seemed that the entire Rizzoli family was just as funny as Jane was herself. In fact, she found it quite charming.
At Maura's slightly tinted cheeks Angela lightly grabbed her arm and pulled her away from her daughter. "Sorry. I didn't mean to embarrass you. Would you like to help me put the finishing touches on the gnocchi?"
"Ma that's not a good-"
"No, Jane. It's fine." Lightly extracting herself from the mother of the family she timidly glided over to her girlfriend she placed a quick kiss to her cheek. Before the brunette could rebuke she was being dragged away to the kitchen.
Several moments passed before Jane released a heavy breath. She watched as both her brothers smirked and walked over to her. Frankie slapped her hard on the back. "Janie, Janie, Janie."
"I told you bro. Smokin', right?"
Frankie laughed as Jane punched the youngest Rizzoli square in the stomach. "Shut up!"
"Hey, you can't fault me for having eyes. I mean, would you rather me say she's a hideous old bag lady? Ow!" Another smack to the head.
"Come on, sis." Frankie grinned at her. "She is pretty hot."
"Yeah, how did you get so lucky?"
Finally, Jane's smile broke through the surface of her frown and she shook her head. "I have no idea brother." She sobered a little looking at them. "Can you both try to keep your drool in your mouth just for one night, please?"
Frankie nodded with his hands up in surrender, but Tommy was about to comeback when the kitchen door swung open. Angela came out with a big pan of food and a broad smile on her face. Jane cursed silently when she saw Maura following her with a nervous façade carrying a bowl of salad. They made eye contact and Jane instantly knew that her mother said something that upset the architect. But she didn't seem sad or mad…maybe self-conscious.
"Dinner's ready!"
The three Rizzoli's shuffled from the living room into the dining room. Angela took her seat at the head of the table with Tommy to her right and Frankie to his right. Maura sat immediately to her left and Jane sat next to her.
Leaning slightly into her girlfriend who hadn't said anything since arriving from the kitchen she slowly whispered, "How was that? You okay?" She saw the lump in Maura's throat bob up and down before she turned to her with a tight lipped smile.
"Yes. I'm fine, sweetheart." Well that wasn't convincing. She stared at hazel eyes for a second before she turned back to the group who were in their own little world. Turning her annoyed gaze to her mother she noted that the woman significantly more happy than before.
"Alright, kids. Dig in." Jane steadily picked up her fork. "So, Maura. Tell us a little bit about your work. Jane tells me you're really smart."
Jane sighed as they sped down the highway. The dinner had gone surprisingly well for a Rizzoli affair. Sure, her mother asked way too many personal questions and of course Tommy leered at her date too long, plus Frankie got called in, but it was still better than expected. Jane had expected overexposed Rizzoli family drama, but it never came.
What she truly expected was for Maura to be scared to death and want to drop her like a hot potato. That never happened either. In fact, the blonde seemed to very much like the company of her family. Throwing her head back in laughter and joining in on the conversation. She enjoyed herself – after that weird first five minutes at the table.
She narrowed her eyes at the woman in the passenger seat. Jane wasn't at all convinced when the blonde had told her she was fine after exiting the 'alone time' she had with Angela in the kitchen. There were endless possibilities as to what her mother could have said to upset the woman. Deciding that she'd rather know what it was and try to fix it now, than let it fester, Jane turned slightly to the other woman.
But instead of Jane's deep voice ringing out, it was Maura who spoke first. "Jane, may I ask you a question?"
Thinking that it would have to do with something embarrassing her mother said, she nodded her head looking straight forward. "Sure."
"Where's your father?"
Jane nearly choked on her own tongue. That was definitely not what she was expecting. Had her Ma said something about him? "Uh… why?"
"I just noticed that he wasn't there. I mean, none of you even mentioned him."
Maura sat quietly as they passed several traffic lights. The question had been burning in her head the entire dinner. The Rizzoli family was entirely content to just talk amongst themselves without even a second glance at the empty chair at the table. After several long minutes, Maura began to think that maybe she was asking too much. If they didn't care, then why should she?
"I'm sorry. You don't have to answer that. I was just curious, but if it's too hard to talk about, then you don't have to."
Jane shook her head slightly. "I'll make you a deal. You answer my question, then I'll answer you."
"Deal."
"What did my mother say to you in the kitchen?"
The brunette could practically feel the other woman tense up beside her. "She…she asked me about kids."
Groaning, Jane turned into the Beacon Hill neighborhood. "Do I even want to know what she asked?"
Surprisingly, Maura laughed and placed her hand on top of Jane's knee. "She said that you talk about Ali and Jake all the time and then…." She placed her finger over lips to contain her smile. "She asked me if I was interested in giving her grandchildren."
Jane slammed on brakes as she rolled into Maura's drive way. Putting the car in park, she immediately turned toward her laughing girlfriend. "My mother said what!?"
"Jane, calm down. She was just asking."
"But uh… W-What did you say?"
"Well, I simply explained that we ourselves haven't even talked about kids or marriage or really anything long term. Plus, I…I'm not so sure I would even want any more children."
Jane swallowed and faced forward. They would have to address their relationship's future at some point. It had been only two months, but Jane felt like she could be with this woman for the rest of her life. "Why wouldn't you want more kids? Not that two isn't enough."
Maura was silent for a moment as she looked out the window at her house. "I just wouldn't want my kids to go through the same thing. With the divorce and everything…"
"You're an amazing mother, you know that."
She smiled over to her girlfriend. "You tell me every day." Jane's bright grin was so wide that Maura couldn't resist leaning over for a long kiss. When she pulled back she could tell that the atmosphere had shifted.
Looking down at her lap Jane mumbled, "I came out to my parents when I was sixteen." She looked up for only a second before darting her eyes to the front door of the house. "Tommy and Frankie already knew, but I just felt like my mom and dad deserved to know so…so I told them and…"
Reaching over the console, Maura wrapped both of her hands around Jane's shaky one. "My mom was upset. She just kept going on and on about how I just hadn't found the right guy yet and how I needed someone to take care of me… She came around though, eventually. But my Pop… He yelled at me saying that it was a sin and that he couldn't live in a house with a dyke. And one day I came home and Ma…she was…crying and I just knew he'd up and left us… because of me."
"Oh, sweetheart." Maura leaned over the console of the car and wrapped her arms around the woman. Maura could only hold her tightly. She could only imagine how it must have been for Jane, having to come out at the age of sixteen to two truly devoted Catholic parents. Jane's life wasn't always roses and she wasn't always as impenetrable as she let on. This definitely opened her eyes.
She softly stroked her hair as the younger woman soaked her warmth in, then kissed her girlfriend's temple and pulled her face up. "Hey, honey."
Jane ducked her eyes. It had been ages since she talked about her Dad and she used to always cry about it but it had just been so long – eleven years, in fact – since it happened that she had learned to accept it for what it was. A man looking for an excuse to bail from his own family.
"Jane." Maura smoothed down slightly tousled dark hair. "You're human too. And I know you try to be strong for everyone… and honestly, it's one of the things that attracted me to you. But, sweetheart, it's good to let it out. That's what I'm here for. As much as you are here for me, I want to be there for you."
Jane gave a weak smile before taking a deep cleansing breath. "I know… You're the first person I've trusted in a long time, Maura. Thank you."
"Oh Jane, I…" Maura felt overwhelmed by a deep sense of validation and worth but still held her tongue, but she wasn't sure why.
"Yes?"
"…You're welcome."
Wiping a lone tear away and feeling utterly ridiculous, Jane huffed. "Okay. Let's get you inside. You're already ten minutes late according to Alice Isles time."
Maura laughed as they both got out of the car, walking to the door hand in hand. When they reached the front stoop, she turned toward her girlfriend expectantly.
"You know…" Jane said pulling Maura in by her hips, "I really like this dress. I don't know if I forgot to mention that."
"Oh, yeah?" Maura said placing her hands on the taller woman's chest.
"You should wear it more often, because damn, Maura… just damn."
Maura laughed, head tossed back. Her Jane was back. She grabbed the back of the taller woman's head, bringing her in for a kiss. She could feel Jane pulling her closer and just as she brought her arms around the Italian's neck, the door suddenly opened. Expecting to find a scowling Alice, Jane took her time in pulling away. Her heart dropped into her stomach when she was proven wrong.
"What are you two doing?"
The appearance of Jacob's disgruntled face instead effectively paralyzed his mother. She was rooted to her spot, hands in midair.
Jane glanced at her watch. "Hey, bud. What are you doing up so late?"
That obviously was not the response he was looking for. He looked from his mother to Jane and suddenly ran to the staircase, ascending it in a hurry.
They were both dumbfounded for a moment. Finally, a nervous cough disguised as a chuckle escaped Jane's mouth. "Well, the cat's out of the bag, I guess."
That seemed to break Maura's trance and she moved panicked into the house with Jane hot on her heels.
"Jacob!" she called after her son.
The brunette caught up to her girlfriend who was heading for the stairs and pulled her back. "Why don't you let me talk to him?"
"Excuse me?" Jane's eyebrows rose at Maura's suddenly aggressive manner. Maura immediately regretted it. "I didn't mean it like that, Jane, I just- I think I can handle my own son."
"Uh… okay. You don't think you're over-reacting a bit?" Jane tried to word that question carefully, but that definitely wasn't what she meant to imply.
"My son just walked in on us!"
"Relax, we were just kissing. He just needs to cool down a little. Trust me, I had two brothers."
That was clearly the wrong thing to say because Maura's eyes narrowed to slits. "Are you questioning my parenting?"
"Wha- no! Of course not! You know I think you're a great Mom. I was just saying-"
"I know what you're saying, Jane." Maura took a deep breath, calming herself before she made a mountain out of an anthill. "Look, I'm not sure where this conversation is going, but I think we can both agree there's no use in us starting a fight for no good reason."
"Agreed."
"Now, you can stay if you like, but I'm going upstairs to check on my son, okay?"
"Okay, yeah. Sorry I said you're over-reacting."
"It's okay. I know you didn't mean it like that."
"I should go though… This is a family thing. I should go."
Maura hesitated again, but settled on a meek, "Okay," and pecked her cheek before Jane parted with a brief smile.
They had certainly come a long way from constant senseless bickering.
Just as Jane reached the car, the front door burst open. Looking back, she saw a breathless Maura running toward her.
"Maur?"
"Jane!" She grabbed her arms. "He's gone. Jacob…he… I can't find him-"
"Babe, relax. Slow down."
Maura swallowed. "Jane, he's gone. He ran away."
Before Jane's mind could even process what the in the hell Maura was saying the blonde started crying, Jane automatically pulled her into an embrace. "It's okay. I'll find him, okay? I will."