Jane exited the wash room with a sigh. She hadn't anticipated the amount of cancerous tissue to be removed from Mr. Clark's colon, and soon she would have to break it to his family that he would be staying for almost a week longer than they anticipated. The good news? She thought she got all of it, and so his treatment plan should have been straightforward from that point.
The colon and its parts were on her mind as she shuffled through the halls and picked up the file waiting for her on the nurses' bay just outside the O.R. She needed to report to his oncologist as soon as possible, because he would have to outline Mr. Clark's status to his wife and two grown children once she explained the procedure.
It was definitely not the sexiest train of thought she had had recently.
Nevertheless, it proved to be of no consequence what her train of thought in that moment was, because a crafty Maura Isles yanked her into the closest supply closet either way. "Ah, fuck!" she yelped as her head hit the handle of a mop, but a sloppy kiss obscured her words. "Maura, what the hell? I don't hear from you in two weeks and now you wanna jump me?" Still, she wouldn't deny that the hands on her face, the thumbs caressing her cheeks, the soft lips pressing against her own, felt good.
"You told Frankie everything," Maura breathed, nipping at Jane's lower lip before terminating the kiss.
"Yeah! That night after the restaurant! I told you I was going to!" the general surgeon said, groaning at the sensation. "You woulda known if you answered your damn phone."
"You had broken your promise before," the shorter woman said, her green eyes cloudy as they looked up into brown ones.
"No, I didn't. Things just got a little delayed because someone beat the fuck out of my brother," Jane asserted as Maura put hands on her shoulders. She shuddered at the touch.
"You had that whole day, and you kept putting it off," Maura volleyed back, even though her tone held no bite or aggression.
"Yeah, because we had to think of a more tactful way to tell our crazy-ass mother than 'hey Ma, your youngest son is a mobster and almost got both me and himself killed,'" Jane grumbled.
"It was all just so overwhelming," the ENT sighed. "I don't have siblings, and I'm not really all that close to my parents. I don't know how to navigate those communicatory waters, Jane. I didn't know that it required such finesse, and I just wanted it all to end, to feel safe."
"You coulda trusted me, but then you went off and ran, and I didn't hear from you. Why?" Jane asked, not daring to reach out for Maura lest she bolt again.
"Because… it's happened to me before," she answered. Her body tensed and her hands became rigid on Jane's chest.
The taller woman stood there, confused, until her face lit up with realization. "Ian?"
"Ian." Maura exhaled a whoosh of air, as though his name were a secret that had burdened her for far too long. "Ian told me that he was going to come back to Boston with me. We were about halfway through our assignment. I continued to ask him, to make sure that he still wanted that, and he always said yes. But, a few days before I leave, I find out through someone else that he extended his stay. I had to corner him to get him to admit it. He is staying another year."
"Well, fuck, Maura. I'm sorry," Jane said in a near-whisper. "He give you a reason?"
"He said it was his duty to the people there," Maura answered, "and I believe that's partly true. But I also know he hated America, what little he had seen of it. And he thrives on adventure."
"Well, he's a dumbass," Jane retorted with confidence, and Maura laughed.
"I think you're just saying that to make me feel better," she said.
"Hell no. You know how torn up I was thinking I had let you slip away? I still ain't sure that I'll get you. But if I do, I know I would do everything in my power to keep you. You're an adventure in and of yourself, Maura."
Maura's knees went clichedly weak, and she cursed herself for it. But, one look into Jane's face, her noble brow and high cheekbones, and she knew her words to be the truth. She shook her head in wonder that she had thought about moving on from her.
Jane chuckled. "What? You still don't believe- " she was cut off by a molten kiss. She tasted the need on Maura's tongue, and it filled her with an aggression, a desire. She practically growled when the kiss ended.
In fact, she found herself so preoccupied with Maura's hazel irises, trying to gather any sort of intel from them, that the hand down her pants nearly flatlined her. "Jesus," she croaked, when two fingers slipped past her boyshorts and ran the length of her.
Maura almost giggled at the look of confusion staring back at her. It mirrored a look of pain. "I always repay sexual favors that are as… generous as the ones you gave me that night," she explained.
"It wasn't… like I got nothing out of it," Jane managed, flashing back to her own orgasm in Maura's queen-sized bed, "Fuck… Maura, we're at work."
"It'll do us both good if you're quiet, then," the otolaryngologist purred, increasing the speed of her circles. She resisted the urge to laugh again when Jane nearly crossed her eyes and then slumped her forehead against the wall behind Maura's back.
The trauma surgeon groaned when she remembered that she had to return to work, and Maura finally chuckled openly with a hand on her lover's back.
"Hey," Jane greeted Maura days later at her office door. They had not seen each other once since their incident in the supply closet, but had exchanged texts of all kinds, both innocent and not so much. Though she had doubted it before, now she knew: Maura was definitely still interested. She leaned against the threshold, hands in her suit pant pockets, black oxford collar obscuring her neck, the picture of self-confidence.
Maura imagined that she looked quite like a Vampire baron in that moment, all dark clothes and wicked smile. "Rachel let you back here? I'm going to have to have a talk with her."
"I know that you're happy to see me," Jane stated, her lips pursed in a cocky upturn.
"I am indeed," Maura responded, putting her pen down and leaning back in her chair. She gave Jane full view of the skin-tight black dress she wore, and the taller woman gulped. "Now, what is it that I can do for you, Dr. Rizzoli?"
"My uh, my Mother. She says she really wants to thank you properly for all you've done for us, and uh…" Jane, who had been the paragon of self-esteem moments ago, now stumbled over her words as she thought about the hemline just feet away from her. Don't think about the heels, Rizzoli. Maura waited for the rest, the foot of her crossed leg moving in metronome time, making heel-ignoring near impossible. "and she's sad you had to leave so abruptly the last time we had dinner. So, she wants to know if you want to come to dinner tonight. It's Friday, so sometimes we eat together as a family at my parents place and-"
"Yes," said Maura, unable to take the rambling, endearing as it was, anymore.
"Yeah?" Jane asked with an exhale, her shoulders slumping with relief.
"Yeah," Maura returned. She got up, and crossed the way to where Jane stood. "You'll pick me up?"
The trauma surgeon nodded. "Yeah. Around six."
The ENT glanced at her watch. It was four o' clock. "Perfect. I'll see you then," she said, sidestepping Jane and leaving her alone in the office to collect herself.
The two of them stood outside Jane's parents' one story suburban home, Maura once again latched onto Jane's arm. She wore jeans, and figured a sweater would fit the less formal attire required of a home visit. The taller woman had laughed at her dilemma in the car, and told her that she would look great in a burlap sack.
Maura appreciated the sentiment, but complained that it was of no help, especially since Jane hadn't had time to change, so she came in her work clothes.
The doorbell rang on the other side, and it was Frankie who opened it. "Maura," he said, finishing up the chew of something that made the house smell divine. He hugged her, the way Jane did, long and with meaning. She hugged him back for a few seconds, and then he let her go. "It's good to see you. Ma and Pop are in there if you wanna put your coat down and head back." She didn't really, but sensed the need mounting for alone time between siblings. So, she nodded to thank him, and walked into the home.
Jane entered the hall so that she could close the door to the outside fall chill, but the two remained there. She peeked over her brother's shoulder, and then looked at him. "No Tommy?" she asked.
"No. We got the deal worked out. But, in order for him to get protection, he has to leave Boston. He's goin' out to California later tonight," Frankie said, hands on his hips.
Jane accepted the news with sadness, but also with relief. "Ma know?"
"Yeah. She got to say goodbye to him. They don't normally do that, you know," He said.
"Well, I'm glad they made an exception. Are they setting him up with rehab services out there?"
"Yeah, believe it or not. He goes to the SLP in a few days somewhere out in LA. But shh, because I'm not supposed to know that."
"Your secret's safe with me, brother," Jane winked. "Now let's get in there. I think we've left Maura to the wolves long enough."
Sure enough, they walked past the staggered pictures of themselves as children on the walls, past the living room where their father sat on the same couch he had for the past 15 years. He flipped between Red Sox playoff pregame shows and waved to them, and found Maura stirring some pot while their mother pulled pasta out of boiling water.
"Ma, she's been here two minutes and you already got her on kitchen duty?" Jane griped, taking the spoon from Maura and replacing her.
"Well it wasn't like any of my kids were around to do the job! And Maura asked if there was anything she could do to help!" Angela shot right back as she drained the noodles in a colander over the sink. The kitchen's theme in their old home had been roosters, and now it was Sicilian citrus. Jane thought it perfect for the sour taste of these little back-and-forths.
"She was bein' polite!" she said, stirring with more vigor as each word rose in pitch.
"Oh, I don't mind, Jane," Maura interjected, unable to stop the rumble of laughter from escaping her throat.
"See, Janie, she don't mind! Now get the cuddura and the silverware out, and you and your brother can set the table," Angela retorted, pointing to the long, thin loaf of bread on the counter. Frankie grabbed it while Jane grabbed the plates and cutlery, and mouthed I'm sorry to her friend.
Maura rolled her eyes as they left.
"You see how my children treat me?" Angela asked with no seriousness. She tossed the drained pasta into a serving bowl that resembled a sink both in color and sheer size.
"I can see that they love you very much," Maura said quietly. She smiled at the Rizzoli matriarch, continuing to stir what smelled like a meat sauce. It had been the aromatic culprit for the air in the house when she walked in.
"Eh, I can too. But they take themselves so seriously all the time, it's fun to rattle their cages a little bit," the older woman laughed. "Go join them, Maura. I'm about ready for that sauce."
Maura did as told, and bowed out of the kitchen, into the adjacent dining room. There, brother and sister laid out the table, as though they were young children again, and she felt a tinge of sadness that she had never known such a thing.
"You want to help me lay these out?" Frankie asked, holding up spoons as he placed forks.
She nodded, and took them from him. "You know, I've never done anything like this."
"Set the table?" he asked in confusion, and Jane kicked at him from the side.
Maura laughed easily enough, however, and shook her head. "Of course not. I've set tables much larger than this one. But that's also exactly what I mean – I don't think I've ever had a family dinner this intimate. My parents rarely ate at home, and we didn't live very close to any of their relatives."
Frankie made sure to give her all of his attention, with his hands on his hips and his front unguarded. She appreciated him for that. Jane listened, too, but in her own way, leaning against the table with her arms across her chest – signaling to others that her attention was Maura's only. Closed for business. She started to see why they loved Angela and Frank so much: if her parents had taught her how to be this way, sincere and kind, she might have loved them as fiercely Jane and Frankie did their own.
"Ok, is everyone ready?!" Angela called from around the corner, emerging with a bowl of pasta and a bowl of leafy greens, one in each hand.
"I'm starvin'," Frankie declared, taking a seat next to his mother, who sat at the head of the table. Frank took a spot at the other end, and Jane sat next to him. Maura sat next to her on Angela's other side.
Frankie heaped some food onto Mrs. Rizzoli's plate, then onto his own, and then passed the bowl to Maura, who thanked him.
"What're they sayin', Pop?" Jane asked her father, who shook his head.
"That we're down 2 to 1 and we'll never recover and blah blah blah, usual doom and gloom stuff from the national networks," Frank said, waving his hand as if to banish the thought.
"Agh," Jane scoffed. "I hate the Fox broadcasts. We start in a half hour?"
"Yeah," the usually stoic man laughed at his daughter. "You think your mother's gonna excuse you that fast?"
"I sure as hell am not, Janie, Maura's your friend. You are not going to leave the table to watch sports," Angela snapped, pointing a menacing fork in Jane's direction.
"Ma, I'm an adult," Jane deadpanned.
"How 'bout you, Maura? You like baseball?" Frank smiled at her, the dazzling crooked smile Jane wore so often.
"Oh, I don't know," Maura replied too quickly and with more than a little rose in her cheeks. "Jane has introduced me, and it's exciting. But there's too much I don't understand."
"There's lots of rules," Frank assured her before a hefty bite of pasta.
Jane shook her head at him, but Maura was the one who spoke. "Oh no, the rules are simple enough. I actually like that part of the game. But there is so much nuance and unspoken etiquette that I don't think I could ever catch up enough to truly understand it."
"Yeah, Pop. I told her we were gonna watch a game one night and then she showed up with the rulebook. Memorized," said Jane.
"Well, damn, that's impressive," her father laughed.
"You got a photographic memory, Maura?" Frankie asked, passing her the cuddura.
"Yes, actually, I do," Maura replied. She took her knife and started to cut away at the hard crust.
Three sets of eyes immediately focused on her, but only one set of hands reached out, one she recognized from their prowess in the operating theater.
"Uh-uh," Jane corrected, taking Maura's hands with her own and ripping a chunk of the bread from the loaf. "Just like that."
"Thank you," she whispered into the trauma surgeon's ear. She felt the muscles of Jane's face retract in a grin.
"Hey."
Jane stood on her parents' back porch, studying the sky when she heard the greeting. She turned, and saw Maura bathed in the light of the house, clicking the sliding glass door shut behind her. "Hi."
"Why aren't you wearing a jacket? It's frigid out here," the ENT complained, rubbing her arms vigorously in her own coat. Jane wore only her work oxford and slacks.
"Superstition. Sox are down 3 to nothing in the fifth, so I need a temp change."
"That sounds… extreme."
"Maybe so, but I'll do whatever it takes. You need somethin'?" Jane asked, turning back to look up at the stars.
"Remember when we went up to the observatory together?" Maura asked, walking out the edge of the porch and joining her.
"Yup. That was fun," Jane offered, stealing a glance at the moon on Maura's flawless face. She staved off the desire to touch as she saw light dancing across full lips and a slender nose.
"You wanted me, even then," Maura said, without a chuckle. Her brow twitched, her only sign of humor.
Jane latched onto it to save her from her mortification. "I… I guess that's true."
"Listen, Jane. I… I want to be with you," admitted the shorter woman, not moving her gaze from its place on the bluish black expanse in front of them. "I thought about it a lot tonight." They stood still for what seemed like forever, when Jane took Maura's hand in her own.
"Needed to test drive the family before you commit?" chided Jane, and before Maura could backtrack, she continued with a smile. "I don't blame you."
A/N: After this, it's just the epilogue! Thanks to all of you who have stuck around with this story and who have shared your opinions with me. It means a lot.