Happy Valentine's Day everyone…
Plans to be Made…
The late afternoon sun reflected off the bumper of the truck parked in Maura's driveway blocking Jane from pulling up alongside the gray Mercedes that indicated Maura had beaten her home. Squinting, she read the name printed along the side of the red truck and shook her head. 'Merchant Plumbing' glared back at her in bold black letters followed by 'We're your #1 call for your #2 problem.' She couldn't help but laugh as she reached up to pull the rubber band from her pony tail and run her fingers through her dark, unruly hair. A lot of thought had gone into the best way to bring Paddy in to explain their plan and as she sat behind the wheel of her car staring out at the red truck she realized this was the moment of truth.
Their plan had been put into play earlier that week when Jane had spent every day complaining that their plumbing was out of whack, her word not Maura's. By the end of the week, both Korsak and Frost had insisted she go home when Maura called to tell her the plumber was finally there. She had taken her leave with a sheepish grin and a heavy sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach. It was that same feeling she got whenever the threat of impending danger waited around the corner for her. That uncertainty was precisely what waited for her behind the closed front door she now sat watching, but it didn't stop her from hoping that maybe she was wrong.
With a heavy sigh, she pulled the keys from the ignition and slipped them into the pocket of her black leather jacket before opening the car door to stretch her long legs as she climbed out. Casually, she glanced around to see if there were any out of place cars parked along their street and only took a deep breath when she discovered the only car was three houses down and one she recognized. Standing tall and straightening her shoulders, she slipped her hands in her pockets and took the few feet to the door in long strides before stopping short of the handle. She paused, took another deep breath to steady herself, and then exhaled slowly as she finally opened the door.
The sound of the front door opening and closing drew Maura's attention away from the man sitting on her couch watching her with a measured eye. "That'll be Jane." She pushed herself up from her seat and walked across the living room to meet Jane halfway. The tentative half smile and concerned dark eyes that greeted her undid the tight knot that had formed in her stomach and she gladly accepted Jane's arms around her making her feel loved and protected.
"Paddy…" Jane gave a slight nod over Maura's shoulder and got a grunt of recognition in return. There was no love lost between her and Paddy and she began to wonder why they were going to extremes to protect him. But then she pulled away from Maura's arms and saw those hazel eyes rimmed with green gazing at her with so much love and trust, and it was enough to remind what she was fighting for. "You ready for this?" She took Maura's hands and looked at her with trepidation.
"As ready as I'll ever be." Maura let out a heavy breath as she gathered her courage to face the man who had brought them nothing but heartache.
"Okay then…let's get this over with." Wrapping an arm around Maura's shoulders, Jane guided them towards the love seat opposite Paddy where they dropped down and sat side by side.
Paddy's hazel green eyes that looked so much like Maura's, watched them from under the brim of his baseball hat as he waited silently for one of them to speak. He felt annoyed at having been summoned the way he had, but also pleasantly surprised for the impromptu visit with his daughter. Tapping his fingers along his knee, his gaze went from Jane's hard stare to Maura's somewhat softer expression. "I haven't got all day…" he shifted uncomfortably.
"Yeah? Neither do we." Jane crossed her arms defiantly. She wasn't happy to have to sit across from him, but she knew why they had to and she accepted it…begrudgingly.
"Listen you two, play nice." Maura huffed impatiently and waved her hands in the air.
"Sorry…" They both said together drawing a raised eyebrow from Maura and a nod of acknowledgement.
"I suppose we should start at the beginning." Maura turned to Jane for help.
"We met with Sean." Jane said, her eyes filled with an unspoken apology. When Paddy glared at her with those angry eyes that reminded her of Maura's, she cleared her throat and continued. "He said that you ordered the hit on Colin's girl, Daria…just like your father ordered the hit on Maura's mother."
Paddy swallowed hard and dropped his head in his hands with a heavy sigh. They were all quiet for a minute as he gathered his thoughts but when no one spoke, Maura ventured to break the silence.
"Is it true?" Looking up, he met Maura's eyes and she knew instantly that it wasn't. "Tell me." It was more a statement than a question and he nodded.
"I didn't hurt her." He took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I wouldn't do that after what my father did…" he looked away from Jane's piercing, dark eyes that held the hint of doubt. "As far as I know, it was an accident. A terrible, terrible accident."
"Why should we believe you?" Jane frowned, not wanting to believe him but knowing deep within her heart he was telling the truth.
"I don't know." He looked at her with a silent plea for understanding written across his face.
Maura could see the pain etched in his face and she reached over to place a calming hand on Jane's knee. "Why would Sean want us to think you did?"
"Probably so it would make it easier for me to kill him." Jane growled through clinched teeth. Her resentment towards Paddy and Sean was evident in her body language.
"Jane…please." Maura tried to calm Jane. She knew that a level-headed Jane was her best chance at figuring things out.
"What are you talking about?" Paddy sat up, his interest piqued by Jane's words.
"Well, I guess the cat's out of the bag." Jane shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. She dropped her gaze from Paddy's questioning one.
"Tell me." He said more urgently.
"Sean wants me to kill you and Maura told him I would." Jane couldn't help the petulant tone in her voice but she was angry.
"What?" He looked from Jane to Maura and back to Jane.
"I only told Sean what he wanted to hear." Maura tried to defend herself.
"You told him Jane would kill me?" Paddy seemed surprised.
"Well, that's where it gets complicated." Waving her hands around, Maura tried to explain.
"I don't understand, Maura. Why?" His expression turned sad and Maura immediately felt regret.
"Look…" Jane interjected. "Sean promised to keep the Irish Mob off our backs and let us live in peace with Valley if we agreed to kill you." She sounded cold and calculated as she spoke but she couldn't help it.
"And you believe him?" The question hung in the air between them and Jane shook her head.
"No, we don't." Jane took the hand that had been resting on her leg in her own and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Which is why we're here…" she hesitated.
"Explain…" Paddy leaned back in his seat and crossed his arms.
"Neither one of us believe what Sean is selling but we don't know yet why he's doing what he's doing." Jane said and held up a hand to stop Paddy from interjecting. "But we have a plan to flush him out and hopefully get to the answers. And we're gonna need your help."
Silence descended upon them for what felt like an eternity until Jane finally spoke up again.
"Do you want to hear our plan?"
Nodding thoughtfully, Paddy looked at them with uncertainty.
"Jane is going to kill you." Maura said without conviction.
"What?" Paddy visibly paled.
"Maura…" Jane glanced at Maura with a crooked grin. "I think maybe I should explain."
"Oh, okay…" Maura conceded, dropping her gaze from Paddy's.
"We're going to stage your death." Jane explained and the color returned to Paddy's face.
"How are you going to convince people that I'm dead?" He asked.
"Well, we really only need to convince one person, don't we…" Jane gave a sly grin. "But, we do have the coroner of the Common Wealth of Massachusetts in our corner." She tilted her head towards Maura.
"I suppose you're right." Paddy nodded in agreement.
"I'm going to let Maura give you the specifics." Jane could feel the nervous energy radiating off Maura. "It was her idea after all and she has it planned down to the very last detail." There was an edge of pride to her voice as she smiled at Maura.
"Thank you, Jane. I know I can be a little too literal sometimes but…" Maura shrugged her shoulders and let out a heavy sigh. Both Paddy and Jane turned their attention towards her as she rolled her eyes and shook her head. "So, yeah…it will appear as though Jane has followed through with Sean's request and…um…killed you." She waved her hand at Paddy. "I will pronounce you and we will notify the news outlets that you're dead…so, you will essentially be…dead."
"Okay…but how will we accomplish that?" Paddy furrowed his brow in concentration.
"I have a special effects vest that you will wear under your clothes. It can be triggered to replicate a gunshot wound by a remote…a remote that Jane will have."
Paddy glanced at Jane, uncertainty written all over his face. "An exploding vest?"
"Yep…" There was a wicked gleam in Jane's eyes as she wiggled her eyebrows. "And I get to shoot you…well…not really…"
"Um, okay. Let me get this straight…" Paddy hesitated as he digested the information he had been given already. "I'm going to wear a vest, rigged with explosives and you are going to pull the trigger…or as you put it…remote." He looked back and forth between Jane and Maura with a scowl. "I think you…" he pointed at Jane. "You are enjoying this a little too much."
"Maybe I am." Jane couldn't stop herself from chuckling.
"Jane..." Maura warned in a low voice.
"What? I didn't do anything." Holding her hands up to show her innocence, Jane batted her eyes in an exaggerated way.
"Aw hell, I guess I'd feel the same way if the tables were turned and I got to 'pretend' to shoot you." He used his fingers to air quote the word 'pretend'. "So, this vest, I'm assuming it's rigged with fake blood."
"That is correct. When the remote triggers it, it will detonate and give the appearance of a fatal gunshot wound." Maura tried to explain, but Paddy seemed distracted. "What?" She asked.
"We all know that anytime an officer is involved in a shooting, IA gets involved. How are you going to deal with that?" The question took both Maura and Jane by surprise.
"Look, we've got the basic's down for this thing but there are still a lot of kinks to work out." Jane pushed her hair away from her face.
"Obviously…what about that Assistant DA girl I've been talking to?" Paddy proposed.
"You mean that woman, who is helping all of us…Ryan Cavanaugh?" Jane's glare became icy and the tone of her voice dared him to find fault with her statement.
"Yes…Ryan." Paddy grumbled under his breath. He knew who she was and he knew who her uncle was as well. It pained him to have to rely on anyone, especially a Cavanaugh.
"Jane and I have considered this, yes. We only need to convince Sean that I killed you, but getting it out to the media…well that's an entirely different story. Hopefully with Ryan's help we can keep IA out of this." Maura intertwined her fingers with Jane's in an effort to calm her. It was true that they hadn't wanted to include anyone but they all knew there was no way to pull this off without Ryan's help. It needed to look legitimate and the prospect of bringing down the Irish Mob in Boston would persuade a lot of suits.
"Okay." Paddy let out a heavy sigh. "But what if I want to stay dead after all of this?"
"Why?" Maura asked.
"I don't know…" He huffed impatiently. "Maybe I don't want to go to jail." He said rather defiantly.
"I don't care where you go after this is over, as long as it's far enough away from us that we never see or hear from you again." Jane looked him in the eyes to convey how serious she was.
"And if I can ensure that you never do…" He eyed her suspiciously.
"Well…than far be it from me to dig up an old corpse." Jane's expression hardened under his scrutiny.
Before anyone could say anything else, Jane's cellphone started to ring, breaking the tension that had settled around them.
Pulling the phone from the clip on her hip, Jane let out a heavy sigh. "It's my Ma…" she gave Maura an apologetic smile. "I'd better get it before she decides to come over and see why we have a plumber here."
When Maura gave an understanding nod, Jane jumped up and hit the accept button on her phone. "Hey, Ma…" she said as she glanced between Maura and Paddy, unsure if she should leave them alone or not. "No, everything's fine…just having a little plumbing issue." Stopping by the sliding door leading to the back porch, she continued her conversation. "I know Uncle Lou is a plumber, Ma but the guy we have is…" she hesitated as she glanced at Paddy. "Um…he's an old family friend of Maura's." It wasn't a lie but she could see Maura rolling her eyes. "It's Maura's house, Ma…she can call whoever she wants."
"Whomever…" Maura mumbled under her breath causing Paddy to laugh and Jane to glare.
"I know we're family now but…" the pause indicated that Jane was listening to what Angela was telling her. "Okay…yeah…I'll let her know." She gave Maura a sideways glance. "Saturday? Family dinner…?" Shrugging her shoulders, she waited for Maura to agree or disagree. The nod caused her to hesitate again. "I guess so but you know how our schedule is. One or both of us might have to work." Again, she listened as Angela continued to talk. "Can you still use Maura's kitchen even if we can't be here?"
"Of course, she can." Maura smiled up at Jane.
Running her fingers through her hair, Jane let out a frustrated huff. "Yeah, Ma." She took a deep breath before cutting the conversation off. "Look, Ma…I gotta go…yes, I'll call you later…no, you don't need to come over…I love you…I'll talk to you later." Rolling her eyes dramatically, she hung up and slipped the phone back in the case at her hip. "Sorry…" she let out a heavy breath.
"Your mother sounds a very persistent woman." Paddy watched Jane with a curious smile on his face. "Maybe I should have given her a position in my organization."
"Yeah, well…she'd have taken over and kicked you out in less than a month." Jane chuckled.
"Maybe that wouldn't have been such a bad thing." He mused as he turned to Maura. For a moment, he was quiet as he studied the pensive look on Maura's face. "You and Colin get the same look on your face's when you're thinking." His smile slipped from curious to sadness.
"I wish I'd had the chance to meet him." Maura's voice was quiet and unsteady causing Jane to drop down next to her and wrap an arm around her protectively.
"I do too." Paddy pushed up from the couch. Giving Maura a gentle smile, he then turned to Jane with a harder, less friendly expression. "I'll do whatever you need me to. Just make sure you get the details figured out with Ryan."
"See, that wasn't so hard, now was it?" Jane interjected.
"What?" Paddy raised his eyebrows in question.
"Calling her by her name."
Giving Jane a look of warning, he frowned at her. "The less people that know about this, the better off we'll all be." He shoved his hands in the pockets of his overalls. "Ya know, I've thought about reconsidering letting you have Valley…" he started to say but held up a hand to silence them both from interrupting. "But…" he gave them a pointed look. "I have no doubt that you'll both do whatever it takes to keep her safe. It's the right thing to do…for her…and…" his gaze dropped as he took a deep breath. Leveling his gaze at Maura and looking in the eyes that were so like his in color brought a lump to his throat. "It's the right thing for you too." He coughed nervously as he spoke. "Call me the next time you need a plumber…let's say, next week sometime."
Jane nodded her acknowledgement. "Sorry we didn't have a more cohesive plan." She tried to apologize.
"Nah…this is a big thing to try to pull off. I get it." He waved his hand dismissively at her. "It's a good idea though, I'll give ya that."
"Good ideas are only as good as the people who implement them." Maura said.
Paddy laughed and looked at Jane, surprise written all over his face. "Does she always talk like that?"
"Yeah, and I wouldn't have it any other way." Jane smirked.
"I'll see ya next week." He headed towards the door still chuckling. "If you need me…" he hesitated and thought for a moment. "Send me a carrier pigeon."
"It was a carrier pigeon that delivered the outcome of the Battle of Waterloo to England…" Maura piped up, her eyes alight with excitement.
Laughing, Paddy pulled the bill of his hat down low over his eyes. "I'll let myself out…" he reached for the door handle and pulled it open. With one last glance over his shoulder, he tried to convey everything he couldn't say and could tell by the look in Jane's eyes that she had understood. They both knew how imperative it was to flush Sean out. But his reasons were different than Jane's and by the silent exchange that had taken place between them before he closed the door, he was confident that Jane knew exactly what his reasons were.
When the door was finally closed, leaving them alone, Maura turned to Jane and eyed her suspiciously. "What was that?" She asked.
"What?" Jane tried to look innocent.
"That…that…look you gave each other." The color was rising in Maura's cheeks as she started to get angry at having been left out of something she perceived as important.
"Nothing, Maur…" Jane tried to shrug it off.
"No…it wasn't nothing." Maura persisted. "I know that look and I don't like it."
"What do you mean you know that look? I don't even know what look you're talking about."
"It's that look you get when you're trying to hide something from me." The frustration in Maura's voice was causing her breathing to become irregular.
"Ah, honey…I'm not trying to keep anything from you. It's just that Paddy and I have an understanding. I can't help up if we think alike."
"What, like killers?" Maura regretted the words the second they left her mouth. She cringed at the sound of her voice and the hurt look on Jane's face.
"I suppose so." Jane's shoulders dropped in defeat.
"I'm sorry…I didn't mean that." Reaching up, Maura ran the backs of her fingers over Jane's cheek. "I just get so frustrated when I don't understand things. I'm not the best at reading body language or cues…sometimes I misinterpret things."
"Nah, it's okay." Jane placed her hand in Maura's and threaded their fingers together. "You didn't misinterpret anything. I can't explain it though, so please don't ask me to."
"You're not trying to keep anything from me, are you?" The fear and uncertainty in Maura's eyes caused Jane to shake her head.
Leaning forward, Jane hovered over Maura's lips before speaking again. "No, I promise." She said before sealing it with a kiss.
Before Maura could lose herself in the kiss, a light knocking at the back door startled them both. Pulling away, she could see the scowl on Jane's face and realized who was knocking. "It's Angela, isn't it?" And when Jane nodded, she couldn't help but laugh. "Well, better let her in." She said as she pushed herself up from the loveseat they were still sitting on. Watching as Jane fell forward into the now empty space she had once occupied, she couldn't help but laugh. "You're such a drama queen." She reached down and ruffled the dark tangle of curls that fell over Jane's shoulders.
"I told her not to come over." Jane huffed as she pushed herself up.
"Well, then you may as well have given her an engraved invitation." Maura reached down to offer Jane a hand to pull up from the loveseat.
After being pulled to her feet, Jane wrapped her arms around Maura and into a hug. "I suppose so, but I was hoping we could spend a little quality time together…ya know…" She wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"I guess you'll just have to wait a little longer, stud." Maura grinned when the knock came again, this time louder and more demanding. "Go let her in and I'll open a bottle of wine." She said as she slipped from Jane's arms, but not before giving her a quick kiss on the forehead. "You want a beer?"
"Yeah…" Jane said as she pushed her hair over her shoulders and turned to find her mother with her nose pressed against the glass window in the door. "Thank God for tinted windows…" she mumbled as she took several long strides across the room to open the door.
As soon as the door opened, Angela almost fell in at Jane's feet. Looking up at her daughter with a lopsided grin, Angela squared her shoulders and stood up straight.
"I know you said not to come over but I saw the plumber leave so…" Angela pushed past Jane to step in the house.
"Ma, I said not to come over. What if Maura and I were…" Jane paused when her mother gave her a surprised look. "Well…whatever…" she waved her hand dismissively. "Maura went to open a bottle of wine. You want that or a beer?"
"Oh…wine would be nice. Maura always has such fancy wines and they taste so good." The grin that filled Angela's face made Jane laugh.
"Yeah, they should for what they cost." Jane shrugged her shoulders and closed the door to follow her mother into the kitchen.
"What about dinner? I could make us some pasta carbonara." Angela said, inviting herself to eat with them.
"That would be wonderful." Maura turned to greet her future mother in-law. "I don't think we've had a home cooked meal in…what…maybe two weeks?" She turned to Jane to see if she agreed.
"Something like that, I guess. But yeah, pasta carbonara sounds good." Jane sighed when Maura handed her a beer. "But can we please just keep it us." She waved her hand between the three of them.
"Of course." Angela nodded. "Frankie is taking Tommy to one of his AA meetings and then they are going to go play something called laser ball or something."
"You mean laser tag, Ma." Jane rolled her eyes. "By the way, what happened to your date tonight?"
"Cancelled…" Angela called out as she stuck her head in Maura's refrigerator.
"Sorry to hear it. I know you were looking forward to it." Maura chuckled as she watched Angela rummage through her things.
"Well, it gives me the chance to spend an evening with my favorite girls." Pulling her head from the frig, Angela smiled. "Oh, and that reminds me…your rings are ready."
"Um…okay." Jane did a mental count of when her next day off would be so she could go pick up Maura's ring for the wedding they had yet to plan. "I don't think I'll have time to pick it up before next week."
"Me either…" Maura mused as she took a sip of wine.
"Don't worry, I'll pick them up for you." Angela set a handful of ingredients on the counter and smiled lovingly at both women.
"Thanks, Ma…that'd be very helpful." Jane accepted her offer of help with a relived smile.
"No problem, glad I can help. Now maybe you two can come with a date…?" The question didn't surprise either one of them as they both nodded in agreement.
"Soon…we promise." Jane reached out to take Maura's hand and give it a gentle squeeze. She could see the sadness in the hazel-green eyes that looked back at her and she swallowed hard. They both knew they would have to put this thing with Paddy behind them before they could move forward but it didn't stop the frown from creasing her lips.
"I just don't understand what's stopping you from picking a date." Angela said as she mindlessly began to prepare dinner, not noticing the look that passed between them.
"It's compl…" Jane started to say but Angela interrupted her.
"Don't you dare say complicated!" Angela waved her hands in the air and shook her head.
"Um…okay." Jane tried to duck her head and look away but couldn't quite turn from her mother's penetrating gaze.
"I know your life is complicated. God, how I know." Angela's voice began to rise with her anger. "But come on…" she rolled her eyes.
"You're absolutely right Angela." Maura gave Jane's hand a reassuring squeeze. "We really need to come up with a date. I'm ready…and I know Jane's ready so, there is no excuse for putting it off."
"Are you saying that you're ready to pick a date?" Angela's eyes grew wide at the anticipation of finally having something to hold onto.
Looking at Jane who raised a questioning eyebrow, Maura smiled and nodded at her. "Let's shoot for the 25th of next month."
"Are you sure Maur? That's only five weeks from now. Can we…" hesitating Jane tilted her head as she tried to think of how to finish her sentence. "Do you think we can get everything done by then?"
"I do." Maura smiled broadly at Jane. "I really do."
"Does this mean I can start planning?" Excitement was written all over Angela's face as she looked from Maura to Jane, waiting for permission.
"I don't see why not." Maura said.
"Ma, we're supposed to do the planning." Jane whined and rolled her eyes.
"Yeah, well…I get to help." Angela pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. "I've got to call Constance and get things started."
"Hey…what about dinner?" Jane tried not to sound disappointed.
Angela stopped and looked at the pout on Jane's face. "Okay, I guess I can finish dinner and call Constance later." She slipped the phone back in her pocket before turning her attention to the food on the counter.
Letting out a sigh of relief, Jane smiled. "Thanks, Ma." She released Maura's hand and walked over to give her mother a hug. "You know we wouldn't make any plans without you."
"I know." Angela allowed Jane to wrap her arms around her from behind and press their cheeks together. "You know I love you sweet girl." Leaning back, she gave Jane's cheek a gentle pat. "And you too." She reached out to take Maura's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Now…let's get this dinner started."
Standing at the backdoor, watching her mother make her way across the grass to the small cottage she called home made Jane smile. She let out a contented sigh when she felt Maura's arms wrap around her waist from behind.
"That was nice. We should have her over more often." Maura nuzzled against the back of Jane's neck as she spoke.
"Yeah, especially when she cooks for us." Jane laughed when Maura pinched her side playfully. "She's pretty excited about the wedding. Do you think we can pull everything off in time?"
Maura was quiet for a minute as she took comfort in being close to Jane. "I'm counting on it. It's time for us to move on with our lives, together and with Valley." She let out a little sigh as she held Jane tighter. "And I think we should go out with everyone next Friday. No need in putting things off anymore."
Turning around in Maura's arms, Jane placed a quick kiss to her forehead. "Hey, how about we spend the weekend in the city?"
The hopeful look in Jane's dark eyes caused Maura to smile and nod. "That sounds wonderful."
"Good…I'll make all the arrangements." Jane said with a wink.
"Hmmm…are you sure?" The question was laced with a hint of uncertainty as Maura buried her face against the hollow of Jane's throat.
"Do I sense some trepidation?" Jane pulled back enough to look down at Maura and gave her a saucy grin. She laughed when Maura rolled her eyes. "I do, don't I?"
"Maybe just a little." Holding her index finger over her thumb, Maura indicated how much she doubted Jane's ability to plan their weekend away.
"Well then, I'll just have to prove to you how capable I am, now won't I…" Jane wiggled her eyebrows suggestively.
"Yes, I suppose so." Maura said as she kissed her index finger and placed it in the cleft of Jane's chin. "Take a bath with me."
"Will there be bubbles involved?"
"As a matter o'fact…I just bought some of that lavender bubble bath you like so much."
" y…" Jane drew the word out as Maura wiggled away from her with a 'come hither' look on her face.
"Really…it's time to start making some plans." Maura grabbed Jane by the hand and pulled her along. "We have a future to plan for."
Jane smiled as Maura pulled her towards the stairs. "Lead the way Mrs. soon to be Rizzoli-Isles…"
Stopping, Maura regarded Jane with a serious expression before a smile filled her face. "I like the sound of that. I like it a lot. Now, let's go make some plans." And with that said, Maura pulled Jane up the stairs towards their bedroom where life would be put on hold if only for a few hours.