Hoping you can read this chapter following the problems on the site
Libra 007
Jane & Maura & Angela
In Maura's Room
In Maura's room, the morning sun filtered through the curtains, casting a soft light on the peaceful face of Jane Rizzoli as she lay in bed. Beside her, Maura Isles, her secret companion, shared the warmth of their morning embrace. Their world, usually hidden from view, was a sanctuary of tenderness and mutual understanding. Jane, known for her strong character and independence, found in Maura's arms a comfort she had never thought possible. Maura, with her intelligence and compassion, had always known how to navigate Jane's complex heart. Together, they formed an inseparable couple and inseparable lover, even if the outside world had no idea seeing only very similar opinions.
However, this Sunday morning seemed different. As the birds sang and the city slowly woke up, the bedroom door burst open, revealing Angela Rizzoli, Jane's mother, watching them. Jane had just enough time to cover her naked body and Maura's, who was also naked, with a sheet. Angela, always quick to express herself and rarely caught off guard, stood there, motionless, her gaze moving from Jane to Maura. The seconds stretched into minutes, and the air seemed charged with a multitude of unasked questions. Yet, against all odds, she simply offered a warm smile and a morning hello, as if the scene before her was the most natural in the world. Jane and Maura, still entwined in their bed, exchanged a confused and incredulous look. Had their carefully guarded secret just been accepted without words or judgment by Angela Rizzoli? Angela's reaction, or rather lack thereof, was open to a multitude of interpretations. Was it a sign of tacit acceptance or simply shock that rendered her speechless? The possibilities swirled through Jane and Maura's minds, each silently wondering what this meant for their futures. Angela, for her part, seemed to have chosen to let the moment play out without intervention, perhaps respecting a space she intuitively understood to be sacred.
The silence that followed was a mixture of tension and relief for Jane and Maura.
As Angela quietly withdrew, leaving the two women alone with their thoughts, a new chapter seemed to open before them. The day that was beginning could well be one of revelations and decisions. Perhaps it was time for Jane and Maura to come out of the shadows, to acknowledge their love in broad daylight or perhaps they would choose to cherish Angela's understanding silence as the unexpected gift of a mother who loves her daughter no matter the circumstances.
Jane, her eyes still half-closed, said in a hoarse voice
"Maura, is that my mother we saw?"
Her hand searched for Maura's under the sheets, seeking an anchor in the suddenly uncertain reality of their bedroom. Maura, her heart pounding, answered with a gentleness tinged with worry
"Yes, it's your mother that we just saw and who left but... I... I don't know what to say."
There was a silence, heavy with unsaid things, before Jane continued
"Ma didn't say anything. Not a word about... us. It's... incomprehensible!"
Jane's words were a mixture of relief, bewilderment, and fear reflecting the tumult of their thoughts. Maura, ever the rationalist, tried to analyze the situation and said while placing a kiss on her girlfriend's lips
"Maybe she's waiting for us to talk about it? Or maybe she chose to respect our privacy."
Jane laughed
"Respect my privacy? We're talking about my mother! You know how she is!" Always digging around to find answers to the questions she asks herself"
Maura said
"Like a certain detective who seduced me"
Jane smiled and said
"I must get that from her"
Then the bedroom door opened a crack again, and Angela appeared, a breakfast tray in her hand and said
"I thought you'd like to start the day with something good"
Jane and Maura exchanged a look, surprised to see that Angela still wasn't talking about what she had seen and both women wondered if this was the right time to break the silence.
Jane stammered,
"Thank you, Ma, that's... that's very kind"
While Maura added,
"Yes, thank you very much, Angela."
Angela put the tray on the bed and before leaving, she turned to Jane and Maura with a smile that seemed to say more than a thousand words and said
"I'll leave you girls to it. Enjoy this moment"
And with those words, she slipped away, leaving behind a mixture of confusion and hope.
Once alone, Jane turned to Maura and said
"Do you think she accepts that we're a couple?"
Maura, taking a deep breath, replied,
"I think so, but she's waiting until we're ready to talk about it."
Jane nodded and said
"Maybe we should... tell her the truth?"
Maura squeezed Jane's hand and said
"When you're ready, I'll be right by your side. No matter what happens."
After they had breakfast, Jane and Maura went downstairs and saw Angela sweeping the floor and Maura said
"Angela, that's nice of you but you don't have to do that, you know there's a maid coming tomorrow."
Angela smiled and said
"You know I always clean after breakfast and it's just my habit."
Jane said
"Ma, we need to talk.
What?"
Maura said
"What you saw earlier."
Angela put down her broom and said
"Oh? What I saw? Jane lying in bed with you? This isn't the first time this has happened."
Jane said
"Yes Ma, that's exactly it but...
Yes, I saw you so what?
Ma? Can't you guess? ยป
Angela smiled and said
"If you're talking about you and Maura being together and having sex, then let me tell you I know about it and have for a while"
Jane and Maure were surprised and Jane said
"But? Ma...how..did you guess?"
Angela said:
"First of all, I'm not born yesterday and I can see the way you look at each other and besides neither Maura nor you have had a date with a man for at least six months but on the other hand, you Jane you accompany Maura to painting exhibitions or to parties for the Isles foundation.
I've been doing it for a long time Ma
You went there as if you had ball and chain attached to your ankles Jane! And lately, you went there smiling.
And then...
And then what Ma?
Do you remember that day about 5 months ago when you and Maura were called urgently because the suspect in your case of the murder of the vice president of the Atlantic Bank of Boston had resurfaced?"
Maura said
"Yes, we had asked you to take care of Bass and Jo Friday"
Angela laughed and Jane said:
"Ma, it wasn't funny because I twisted my ankle that night because I slipped on an icy staircase and luckily Frost and Frankie caught that bastard but I don't see why it's funny"
Angela still laughed and said
"So I came into the living room after you guys left and did a little cleaning and...
And?
I found a set of sexy women's underwear on the floor behind a chair and a Red Sox jersey and a set of Red Sox colored underwear right next to the sexy underwear and I knew it was just the two of you in the house that day and I know who the sexy underwear belongs to and who the Red Sox underwear belongs to"
Angela saw Jane and Maura blush and Jane said
"Oh my God! Ma! You...found that?"
Maura said
"We were looking for them when we got called and..."
Jane says
"Maura stop please, I don't want to say more..."
Angela still laughs seeing Jane and Maura's reactions and says
"I won't hide from you that I was surprised that night when I saw that but then, I understood everything and I was very happy
But you didn't say anything, it's not like you
Because I hoped that it was serious between you and not a one-night stand so I didn't want to make a mistake."
Angela smiles and says
"Well, earlier, I had visual confirmation that you are together but I would like to hear it from your mouth"
Maura looked at Jane and took her hand and she looked at Angela then says
"Yes, Angela. Jane and I are together"
Jane looked at Maura and then at her mother and said
"Yes, Ma. Maura and I are together"
Angela saw a big smile and hugged both women and said
"Finally! Finally! It's about time!"
Jane and Maura smiled and Maura said
"Thank you for accepting us Angela!
You are my daughters and you are finally together! Oh how happy I am and Frankie, Tommy are going to be so happy and as for TJ, he is going to jump for joy, his two aunts together, oh Lord God!"
Jane said:
"Ma, later we're going to tell you everything so please keep it to yourself for a few hours. Please"
Angela said
"I will but oh my God! How I've been waiting to see this"
Jane and Maura were happy with Angela's reaction and they knew Frankie, Tommy and especially TJ would be happy for them and they couldn't wait to tell them later before the Rizzoli Sunday lunch to see this
The End