Author's Note: Thank you all for your kind words about this piece and the voice I give Jane and Maura. This is simply how I see them and, unfortunately, not how we get to see them on screen. Maybe someday? Yeah, well, don't crush my dreams. This chapter focuses on another mother/daughter relationship that is important to the show—that of Angela and Maura. -dkc

Chapter 5

Jane walked into the BPD, her hair pulled into a ponytail, her shirt no longer tucked in. This was how the end of nearly every workday went for Jane. It didn't matter how many suspects she had to chase, how many piles of paperwork she had to complete, this was simply how she ended her day.

Unlike Jane, Maura was just as put together at the end of the day as she was the moment she walked out of her house to start the day. She sat at her desk, perusing shoes online as she tapped a pen a notepad. She was looking at shoes, but her mind was a million miles away.

"Dr. Isles?" Frankie peeked his head into the doctor's office, pulling her out of her thoughts.

"Frankie, for heaven's sake, you know you can call me Maura," the young man grinned at her.

"Well, Maura, I'm just delivering this. Uh, Ma sent it down," Frankie offered a Styrofoam cup of green tea.

Angela knew that Maura liked to wind down her workday with a cup of green tea and usually Maura would wander up to the café as it was closing for the day and grab a cup. However, since the ordeal with the video, Maura hadn't been spending as much time in the café and very rarely saw Angela without Jane present. She wasn't cold to Angela, but their relationship hadn't quite recovered.

"Oh," Maura was truly surprised. "That was kind of Angela, and kind of you to deliver it. Thank you, Frankie."

"Of course," Frankie turned to leave, but stopped. "I hear we are having family dinner at your house on Sunday, huh?"

Maura had agreed to it only because Jane had asked with that look on her face that always got Maura to acquiesce. The doctor was secretly dreading it. It would be the first Rizzoli family dinner they had had since Maura was arrested and Angela handed the tape over to Cavanaugh that could have put her behind bars for good.

"Yes, that is correct. I believe six o'clock was the agreed upon time."

"Great. Umm, do you mind if I invite Frost?" Frankie was slightly sheepish about this for reasons Maura couldn't quite understand.

"Barry is always welcome," Maura responded with a smile.

"I'll see you then," Frankie smiled and walked out of the detective's office.

Maura sat back in her chair, looking at the ceiling as she contemplated just how she was going to make it through dinner with the remaining tension between she and Angela. She had forgiven Angela, she truly had, but there was a certain degree of trust lost in the matter and Maura was struggling to deal with that. Before Maura realized it, there were a few tears making their way down her cheeks. She tried to brush them aside. It was this unsuccessful attempt that Jane caught as she walked through the doorway her younger brother had exited just minutes before.

"Maur?" Jane saw the tears and immediate concern registered on her face.

Jane closed the door behind her and walked quickly to Maura's side, kneeling next to her to be more at her level.

"What is it?" Jane questioned as she placed a hand on Maura's thigh.

"I am being emotional, Jane. It's really nothing," Maura grabbed for a Kleenex, dabbed at the corner of her eyes and looked at her best friend.

"Tears are never nothing," Jane took the Kleenex from Maura and used it to wipe just under Maura's eye where there was a smudge of mascara.

"Angela had Frankie bring me green tea. I told you, I'm just being emotional," Jane smiled at her friend, not in a mocking way.

"Maur…" Jane held both of Maura's hands in hers. "It will get better. I promise you."

"Oh, I know. And I have forgiven your mother, Jane. It isn't that. I'm struggling with how much I can trust her and I know I'm wrong for that."

"There is nothing wrong with that. But let me tell you something. Ma may be a gossip, she may sometimes do things that can't be explained, she may pester and hover, but what she does best is love the hell out of her children. She considers you one of her kids. She loves you, Maur."

The last words out of Jane's mouth made the tears resume, this time happy tears. Jane couldn't help herself as she leaned up to wrap her arms around her friend. She kissed her cheek and then released her so she could grab Maura another Kleenex.

"Are you sure about doing dinner at your house Sunday? We really don't have to. We can put it off for another week or two if you want."

"No, it's okay. We've put it off long enough. Besides, I already told Frankie that he could invite Barry," Maura sniffled and then threw away her tissues.

"Those two are inseparable," Jane chuckled.

"Reminds me of us," Maura smiled.

"Hmm…well, I don't think they've kissed," Jane smirked. "I could be wrong, but I doubt it."

Maura reached for her tea, taking a drink and then offering it to Jane who turned up her nose to which Maura laughed.

"Do you think we should invite Korsak since Frost is coming?" Jane stood up and brushed the wrinkles out of her already wrinkled beyond fixing trousers.

"If your mother hasn't already," Maura teased knowing Jane found the idea of her mother and Korsak revolting. "I don't see how Korsak is any worse than your boss, Jane."

"He isn't! He is! Well!" Jane was tongue-tied. "He was my partner!"

"Barry is your partner and you don't have any problem with him coming to dinner," Maura offered.

"That's different and you know it!" Jane put a hand on her hip and tilted her head to look at the seated doctor.

"Right," Maura smirked and turned back to her laptop. "Why did you come down here?"

Jane brushed aside a few strands of hair that had made their way out of her ponytail and looked at Maura like she was asking her the most difficult question in the universe.

"You know what? I really can't remember," Jane's face lit up with a huge smile and Maura could respond with nothing less.

"I have been looking at shoes for the past hour. Thirty more minutes and I can actually get out of here," Maura said.

"Robber tonight?" Jane asked.

"Friday night, isn't that what we always do?" Maura answered

"Yep, it is," Jane smiled again and started walking to the door.

"Hey, Jane," Maura got the detective to stop just as she reached for the door handle. "Thank you."

There was a look of sincerity and genuine appreciation on Maura's face that Jane loved. Not only could her best friend not lie, her honesty was of a different sort than anyone else Jane had ever met.

"Of course," Jane winked at Maura and then opened the door, walking away.

Maura returned to looking at shoes on her laptop with a smile on her face and warm tea by her side.

To be continued…