A/N: I was actually debating whether to have Angela freak out in the last chapter, but in my opinion, she does like Maura a lot and is thrilled at the sheer prospect of having another kid around. Maybe she already has a gut feeling about our lovely ladies at this point, too? We'll see...
Chapter 8: Neighborhood Walks
Jane's POV
Waiting is not your strong suit. It never has been. Jane Clementine Rizzoli is a doer, after all. Maura suggested you take some time off; you did not want to at first, feeling that it would only make the days pass by even slower, but Maura finally convinced you by giving you a mini-lecture about what is happening in your body after IVF. "The embryo implantation will happen one to five days after the transfer, Jane. It would not be wise to take any chances. Ultimately, it is your decision, but strenuous activities are not exactly recommended at this point of the journey."
You lifted an eyebrow at that. "You mean, like detective work?"
"Like detective work or sports or sex", she clarified matter-of-factly and you instantly made an "Eww" sound. She only scoffed. "Jane, I am just telling you what the doctors suggest and sexual activity is-"
"In case you haven't noticed, I am not currently seeing anyone", you pointed out, determined not to continue talking about sex. You know Maura considers you to be quite prudish in your reluctance to talk about this topic. You either stop such conversations immediately or you have to stifle an immature reaction like making a dumb joke or chuckling loudly. You have not grown up in a household where sexuality was discussed openly. Your mother has become less reserved over the years but when you were a kid, you and your brothers couldn't really ask your parents about these matters without feeling extremely awkward and to this day, for you sex is something to do, not something to talk about. Maura once dared to ask you whether you didn't have conversations about physical intimacy with your partners either. The truth is that you truly try to avoid such talks because they make you so uncomfortable. You don't enjoy talking about that... stuff. To you, it just feels weird and like a total mood-killer. Maybe you are wrong, you actually suspect so. Maura talks about sex so freely and while you have admonished her for oversharing more than once, you secretly also kinda envy her for this willingness to verbally express her preferences and desires. From what she sometimes simply does seem unable to hold back, you've gathered that she can reach orgasm without a problem, that she doesn't feel conflicted about masturbation at all, and that she can be quite experimental in the bedroom.
Oh God, you really must be bored out of your mind, sitting on Maura's couch and thinking about her sex life, for God's sake. You get up while muttering to yourself to "snap out of it" and reach for Joe Friday's leash. The small dog is currently pacing around the living room, not used to having you around so much. Good thing you have collected all those vacation days. It would be pretty strange to have to tell Cavanaugh that you are on your two-week-wait after doing IVF.
"Come on, Joe, we're going for a walk", you try to hype the dog up somewhat. Joe Friday lets you put on the leash – it's a pink one that Maura chose and that you find awful – and you are careful to avoid any movements that could potentially harm the whole embryo thing. You just need to get out of the house for a while. You've already watched hours of breakfast TV and the day is still young. Maura will only be back at home late in the afternoon and your mother is working at the Division One Cafe today.
You head onto the street and walk Joe Friday zigzag through the neighborhood. It's a good area to raise a child, very suburban and safe, and you've heard that there are some schools with an excellent reputation. This baby will be 50% Maura genetically, after all, so it will probably have to get the best education possible, with such a formidable brain.
You walk at a leisurely pace, deep in thought but also paying attention to Joe Friday who is sniffing and sniffing at every spot that seems even remotely interesting to the tiny terrier. You have such a soft spot for Joe Friday although you mostly don't show it. Maura is aware, though, that's why she didn't even hesitate for a second when you turned up at her doorstep with Joe Friday at a much earlier point of your budding friendship. She let you and the dog inside and a few days later, she had already bought all the equipment necessary for a dog – two bowls for food and water, organic dog food, a comfy basket.
Suddenly, another leashed dog approaches your Joe, and you look up, a little startled, just to lock eyes with a tall, brown-haired guy who looks athletic and handsome and seems to be walking his dog as well.
You turn your gaze back to Joe Friday who has decided she likes this dog although she can be quite picky when it comes to comrades of her species. She's more of a people dog than a dog dog, if that makes sense.
The other dog is a Maltese, a white fluffy thing with a very pink tongue hanging out of its panting mouth.
"You have a very cute dog", Maltese guy politely tries to start a conversation.
"Thanks", you reply quite monosyllabic.
"Is she a girl?", the guy inquires. Dog owner etiquette makes you answer the question truthfully. "Um, yes. She is. Your dog is male, I suppose?" Guessing from the way it excitedly sniffs Joe Friday's private parts, this seems to be a rather safe bet.
"Yeah", the guy replies, "his name is Douglas and he's actually not my dog, he belongs to my Grandmother! I just take him for longer walks because she can't be up on her feet much nowadays."
What to do with this information? You give him a polite nod. "It's nice of you to walk him. Bet he's very happy about that."
"He certainly loves his exercise", the guy agrees amicably and then points at the park at the corner that you were just on your way to. "Umm, would you like to, maybe – walk together? To the park? We could let them off-leash, there's only a small dog run, but it would probably be sufficient for our giants!"
You consider his suggestion for a moment. You don't have anything better to do but you are note sure whether you are in a sociable mood. On the other hand, the guy seems friendly and polite, and from the way he looks at you, he seems to like you, even in your very unglamorous I'm walking the dog outfit. You don't intend to start anything but some light flirting could be fun, couldn't it? There's no harm in that. Just because you are potentially pregnant doesn't mean you have to turn into a bourgeois housewife.
"Yeah, okay", you reply and the guy flashes you a broad smile that shows his even white rows of teeth.
He asks for both your and your dog's name but seems much more intrigued by yours. "Jane", he muses, "that's a beautiful name. My name is Anthony. You can call me Tony, though."
You reach the dog park and he holds open its metallic door for you. You both unleash your dogs and immediately, Douglas tries his best to get Joe Friday interested in a game of chase-me-please.
"She's not too impressed", Anthony remarks over his excited barking.
"Yeah", you simply agree, "she doesn't normally play with other dogs. She's not that outgoing."
You can feel his glance on you. "What?", you ask, a little irritated.
He snickers haltingly. "Well, I am guessing you are perhaps not the most outgoing individual yourself?" His tone is light, but you can sense that he hopes for a genuine reply, for a sign that you are indeed okay with this situation, that you don't want to get rid of his presence as soon as possible.
You give a nonchalant shrug of your shoulders. "I am here with you, right?"
For a couple of moments, both of you turn your heads in the direction of the dogs. Douglas appears to have given up any hope that Joe Friday will play with him; he is now chewing on a stick while Joe sniffles every inch of the ground with utmost concentration.
"So what do you do when you are not hanging around with random guys in dog parks?", Anthony asks in an affable manner.
And here it is, the moment where you reveal your occupation and the guy can't get away from you fast enough. That's what most of them do, anyway. They run, intimated by a woman who is not only a cop, but a homicide detective. Some also react intrigued, but in a way that feels unhealthy, their morbid fascination a huge bright neon red flag. There is nothing sexy about your job. You often deal with human tragedies that have cost at least one life in the end. It's not something you particularly want to discuss during foreplay. You also really don't want to come home to someone who is getting turned on at the thought of atrocious crimes.
You sigh, already prepared for what is likely to come next. "I'm a Homicide Detective at Boston PD."
Anthony almost doesn't miss a beat. "Whoa", he then states astonishingly calm. "That must be a lot of responsibility. I can't even imagine."
You like him for his honesty and for not freaking out. "Well, I guess someone has to catch the bad guys", you reply. You wait for another question but when he doesn't probe, you return his question in relief. "So, what do you do for a living, Anthony?"
"I teach Political Science at Boston University", is the prompt reply. "Which, compared to your job, does sound like a bunch of theoretical blah-blah, I'm afraid."
"It doesn't", you assure him. "It sounds... nice. I mean, I don't have a clue but I imagine it as a very broad field. Maura would probably be able to engage in an actual conversation about it", you ponder aloud.
"Maura?", Anthony asks a little confused.
"Sorry". You wave it off. "She's my best friend who actually lives in this neighborhood, 'cuz Homicide Detectives do not get paid enough to afford a house in this area", you elaborate. "Anyway, Maura is a genius, she's a freakin' library on heels so I am sure she'd have something more informed to say about your career."
"I see". He lifts his eyebrows in what likely is amusement about your not very smooth behavior. You have never gotten "flirting" and you certainly don't understand how Maura can be so good at it although it involves human interaction. But on the other hand, she one time told you that flirting is actually very predictable because there are clear rules to follow and it's not that hard to signal interest through verbal and nonverbal cues.
Wait, are you flirting?! Anthony seems nice, all right, but so are trees and you are not flirting with them. On the other hand, you're almost 40 years old and if you ever wanna find someone to spend the rest of your life with, waiting for tomorrow will probably not be the smartest thing to do. Oh God, why are you thinking about a future together with this guy now?! You've barely known him for twenty minutes! Get a grip on yourself, you hiss at yourself inwardly. You'll scare him off if you don't manage to appear at least somewhat... composed.
"I am more interested in what you have to say about me, though", Anthony comments, the corners of his mouth twitching in a weak attempt to hide a mischievous grin.
You play along. "Ah, let me think... okay, your dog is pretty adorable", you admit with a hint of playfulness in your voice.
"Ow", Anthony dryly says but can't suppress his laugh. "Off to a great start!"
You shrug. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves here, shall we?"
You make affable small-talk for a few more minutes before you decide it's time to end this conversation. Anthony really is a nice guy, but maybe it wouldn't be fair to drag him into what is going on in your life anyway, you reason while you prepare for an awkward goodbye.
He surprises you, though, by asking if he can walk you home. "Uh, sure", you stutter, "but my home would be, like, a proper hike away from here. I'm going back to Maura's place."
"Works for me", he says and once you've started walking, he remarks: "Oh, that's my direction anyway, great. I'll just bring Douglas back to my grandmother before I head back to University."
You try to ask him some polite questions about his teaching which works rather well. See, I can totally do this, you think to yourself as the two of you, both with a leash in hand, turn around the corner to Maura's street.
"So, uh, that's her house", you say, pointing at the impressive building.
"That's a really nice one", he comments and you know he means it. You walk up to the front door when you suddenly see a very familiar-looking car pull into the driveway and one minute later, a very familiar-looking person gets out of the vehicle, carrying a grocery bag.
"Oh no", you curse under your breath because the person now approaching the two of you is your mother, Angela Rizzoli, of all people. What is she going to think about you, a few meters away from Maura's doorstep, with a strange man walking next to you?
You know what she'll think. She'll be delighted that you've finally found your "perfect match" and say something either wildly embarrassing or mildly infuriating or, most likely, a combination of both.
You try to slow your pace so that she'll be at the door first without noticing you but what does she do? Right, of course she lifts her head to look up and down the street, and her face lights up kinda sweetly when she spots you. "Janie!", she calls and lifts the hand that is not wrapped around the grocery bag to wave at you cheerfully. She halts mid-motion when she grasps the whole situation – namely that you are not on your own but with a man, a good-looking guy at that, who is just asking you a question that you don't get a single word of because of your current predicament.
It's too late for a retreat or to shake Anthony off politely. Your mother sets down the grocery bag on the stairs to Maura's front door and approaches the two of you. "Janie, hi! And – young man, what a pleasure to meet you!", she exclaims, already making goo-goo eyes at him, extending her hand for him to shake which he immediately does.
"Umm", you start very intelligently, "Anthony – this is my Ma. Ma, this is Anthony. We just met by chance at the dog park." You decide not to mention that you met before walking to the dog park together. It would only fuel your mother's very lively imagination.
"Oh, I see – well, what a lovely dog you have here!", Angela practically chirps and bends down to stroke over Douglas' soft white fur. "Jane", she adds while getting up from her bent-down position again, "Joe Friday should really socialize with other dogs more often! I keep telling her", she directs her next sentence to Anthony who chuckles politely.
You just want your Ma to leave you alone for a moment longer. You shoot her a look that unmistakably says Ma, please go inside now, and your mother, to your utter relief, seems to get the hint and says: "Well, I'd better go inside and put the groceries in the fridge, it's so warm today!"
"Yeah, Ma, I'll be right with you", you mutter and watch her unlock the door and make her way inside, leaving it open a crack. Hopefully she won't eavesdrop.
You turn to Anthony with an apologetic smile plastered on your face: "I'm so sorry about this, I don't actually introduce people who I've just met to my Ma-"
"Hey, it's okay, she's nice", he assures you all laid-back and relaxed. "So this is your Ma's house? I thought you said-"
"Oh. Sorry for the confusion. No, it's Maura's house, but my Ma lives in the guest house. Convenient arrangement, I guess." You shrug and wonder whether he finds this odd. If he does, his features do not betray him.
"Well – it was nice meeting you, Jane", he says and scratches his scalp. "Err – would you like to maybe meet again? For a walk or – perhaps even dinner?"
You can't say you feel overjoyed but maybe that isn't the point. It takes time to properly develop feelings for someone and if you aren't even giving anybody a chance, what about your current situation could possibly change?
"That would be nice", you reply with a smile and you then proceed to exchange cellphone numbers before you head inside.
R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I-R&I
You are surprised at the way your mother looks at you when you try to make yourself useful by unpacking the groceries together with her.
"What?" you ask after a while, as friendly as possible. "Am I doing this somehow wrong?", and you lift the cucumber you mean to put into the fridge for emphasis, waving it around a little.
"Oh, no, everything is fine", Angela says in her sing-song voice which does not fool you in the slightest.
"Ma, when you talk like this, I know that something is bothering you, so shoot", you urge, thinking that in some way or the other, this must have to do with Anthony.
"Well, okay, Janie." With a dramatic sigh, your mother leans against the kitchen counter. "Do you really think you should be doing this right now?"
"Doing what?", you retort, puzzled by her evasiveness.
"Go out with men, Janie dear!", her concern bursts out of her and you stare at her, mouth agape. "Ma, what the hell?", you yell, not used to her being against you dating someone. Normally, she's the one giving you a hard time about your relationship status whenever you're single.
She takes a deep breath. "Janie, I'm just saying... you and Maura are trying to have a baby and-"
"Yes, but I'm not married to Maura", you state as firmly as you possibly can. "This is not – Ma, I mean, we're friends, but that doesn't mean I can't – have dates or whatever!"
Your mother shakes her head. "Oh, Jane, do you know how intimate it is to carry somebody's child? Of course you don't, but let me tell you that it is indeed life-changing. You cannot possibly get any closer to somebody than this. You shouldn't take this lightly."
You still are confused. "Okay, Ma, but I don't see how-"
"How this could hurt Maura?" Angela rolls her eyes upwards. "Janie, sweetie, she loves you so much and I just – well, I would advise you to be very careful and to take your time to focus on this part of your family for the time being. You do not have to take my advice, of course." The last sentence is added especially for you – you hate taking advice. You hate being told what to do, even in a gentle manner.
You frown, a whirlwind of emotions boiling within you. This is greatly out of character for your mother and you still have no idea what exactly she is trying to tell you, only that she for some reason doesn't think you should follow through with this Anthony guy. You doubt it's something against him, personally, but at least, that explanation would be more comprehensible to you.
"Okay, Ma, I'm going upstairs now", you announce and retreat into the guest bedroom hastily, relieved at the peace and quiet the spacious room has to offer.
A/N: Please don't hate me for the whole "Anthony" angle, haha! Rizzles is endgame but I just don't see Jane admitting her feelings for Maura quite so easily. There needs to be at least a little drama at first :b But rest assured, there will soon be some tender moments between Jane and Maura, too!
