DISCLAIMER:I do not own Rizzoli & Isles nor any of the characters from the show. I am writing this purely for entertainment, not profit. Rizzoli and Isles are property of Tess Gerritsen and TNT.
Please find the full disclaimers in the beginning of Chapter 1.
Chapter 42
Maura picked up her phone.
"I will give you privacy to talk to them." Jane offered, pecking Maura's lips but standing up to leave.
"Stay. I want you to listen in." Maura circled Jane's wrist with her hand.
"Only if it is off-camera." Jane could not trust her own face if the reaction from the Isles was not what Maura expected for.
"I can live with that. But my bet is that they will want to talk to you."
"And then I can join you on camera. But not from the get-go."
"Okay." Maura smiled, shaking her head.
She sent a note to her parents, asking when would be a good time for them to talk.
A couple minutes later and her phone rang with a video call from them.
"Darling! Good morning to you!" Constance prim voice came over.
"You look well." Her father added satisfied.
"Good afternoon mother, father… I do feel well. The past week was the first fully back to my duties. I am tired, six weeks got me disused to the grind, but I had no pain. How are you doing?"
"Brilliantly. I am planning an expedition to Africa."
"And I will be gone in two days for a tour through Scandinavia for my latest installation."
"Sounds exciting!"
"What about your book? Have you made already a decision about your next steps?"
When they visited Boston a couple of weeks ago on their way back from South America to Europe, Maura had shared with them their letters telling them what she wanted to tell them in case she was to die today. And she had also shared the news about the book, and her pending decision about her career.
"I decided I will resign from the Chief Medical Examiner position when my term comes to an end. This past week was a reminder of how brutal the hours and the grinding are."
"So switching to a full-time writer career?"
"I will try it at first, but I might end up taking a more normal job, teaching or consulting or volunteering, where I can have more normal hours. I contributed my share with almost twenty years solving crimes..."
"Why don't you come spend a season writing from Europe? We would love to have you here…"
That was the hook Maura needed.
"Actually, I am planning to spend my first season writing from DC."
There was a pause on the other side of the line. Jane felt her insides churning. This was the moment of truth.
"You did write a letter like ours to Jane, didn't you?"
"I did…"
"Does she feel the same?" Constance asked softly.
"Excuse me?" Maura squeaked, surprised about how her mother would dare to guess the contents of her letter.
"It is a simple question, Maura." Constance asked, knowingly.
Maura had the decency to blush: "She does."
"She is there with you, isn't she?"
Maura raised her eyes to Jane, in a silent ask for help, and Jane smirked at her, but walked with purpose to join Maura in the sofa.
"Good afternoon, Constance, Arthur."
"So you are together, now?" Arthur asked, his expression not letting anything show.
"Since yesterday, yes, your daughter accepted to be my girlfriend. Nobody yet knows, not even my mother – she is travelling." Jane added, in case Constance could be thinking to partner with Angela to try to change their minds.
"We are honored you are sharing this with us." Constance added, sincere, and with a warmth unexpected to both Jane and Maura.
Jane passed an arm around Maura's shoulder, and Maura relaxed against her.
"Are you… hmmm… okay with that?" Jane inquired. "You know who I am, where I come from, and what I do for a living… I am not in the same league as Maura, never been and never will be. But I do love you daughter with every fiber of my being."
"You don't need to convince us about your feelings for Maura, Jane. Your actions speak louder than any words ever could. About being or not in her league, it is irrelevant. If Maura is happy with you, we are happy she is happy. And for what is worth, I do think she did really well in choosing you."
Jane blushed visibly.
"I just ask you keep caring for her as you've ever done, Jane. That is more than enough to give us peace of mind. We trust you."
"Thanks…" Jane offered, suddenly shy, and Maura kissed her cheek.
"I told you so…"
"I don't anticipate your mother will give you trouble. But if she does, please let us know. I can try to smooth things out…" Constance offered, surprising both Jane and Maura. "What? You were made for each other, and only a blind person couldn't see that!"
They all chuckled.
"Thank you for your acceptance… It does mean a lot to me…"
"To us…" Jane supplemented, squeezing Maura's shoulder lovingly.
"This does not get you off the hook of coming to spend a season writing here in Europe, darling. It just means you will bring company…"
"We will plan accordingly, mother." Maura admitted, chuckling.
"Congratulations to both of you, by the way…"
"Talk to you soon, enjoy your weekend!" Arthur waved, before they disconnected.
"That was unexpected…" Maura mused.
"Which part exactly? The part where they knew what you wrote on the letter? Or their correct guess that I felt the same?" Jane replied, amused.
"All of it?" Maura chuckled, shaking her head.
"I will tell you something… The most shocking part for me was your mother offering to smooth things out with my mother. We should check, but the end of the world is likely near…" Jane laughed out loud, shaking her head as well.
"Well, what matters is that the outcome was good." Maura kissed Jane lovingly. "And I think it calls for a celebration."
"A celebration? What do you have in mind?"
"Lunch in a nice and quiet bistro that we can walk to from here. A walk in the park afterwards – maybe with ice cream. And then back home to cuddle and make out some more, with some delivery dinner in the middle."
"Let's go!" Jane said, jumping from the sofa, and offering a hand to help Maura up.
