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thegirl20TITLE: Tonight I wanna do some drinkin': Cosmopolitans
AUTHOR:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
the_girl_20
FANDOM: Rizzoli and Isles
PAIRING: Jane/Maura
SUMMARY: Angela needs cheering up.
RATING: R
WORD COUNT: ~3500
DISCLAIMER: Don't own 'em.
SPOILERS: Set somewhere vaguely in season 2
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Part of a series based on this prompt: Jane/Maura, from the first meeting to where they are now (together or on the verge of it, idc) via the drinks they drink (each meeting should have some sort of beverage). Follows Coffee, Wine and Chicken Soup
AUTHOR'S NOTES 2: I should maybe have said that I'm not posting all of the fics in chronological order. I will be going back and forth to different points in their relationship. :)
They were lying in Jane’s bed, covers barely past their waists. Jane trailed a finger up Maura’s spine, smiling when it caused Maura to arch her back, pressing her breasts further into Jane’s side. Maura shifted, resettling her head on Jane’s shoulder, a hand tracing patterns on Jane’s abdomen. Jane loved these moments. When there were no dead bodies and no bad guys. When it was just the two of them with nothing to do but enjoy each other’s company. She turned her head and pressed a soft kiss against Maura’s closed eyelid.
“I think we should take your mother out.”
Jane froze. Thoughts of her mother were not welcome at times like this.
“Maura, what did we say about bringing up my mother, my brothers or my work colleagues when we have no clothes on?”
Maura moved so that she was leaning up on her elbow, looking down at Jane, her face serious. Though with her breasts clearly on display, Jane found it difficult to focus on her face. “That it freaks you out and I should try not to do it anymore.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Jane said, nodding. “And did you? Try?”
“Yes, I’m sure I did.” Maura’s hand slid down Jane’s stomach and wrapped around her hip, her thumb stroking over the prominent bone. “But this is important. I really think we should take your mother out.”
Jane yawned and stretched her arms out above her head. “I know she’s annoying, but organising a hit on her is a bit extreme.” She glanced up to find Maura looking back at her in confusion.
“Okay, mob humour perhaps wasn’t the best choice for you.” Maura frowned. “Or, you know, any kind of humour.” The frown deepened and she turned away from Jane, rolling onto her side. Jane grabbed her before she could go far and pulled her back into her arms. Maura put up no resistance, allowing herself to be enveloped by Jane’s long limbs. Jane kissed her shoulder and tightened her arms for a second.
“Okay, I’m listening. Tell me.”
There was a moment’s pause in which Jane wondered if she’d have to apologise further, but then Maura turned around again, still in the circle of Jane’s arms. She brought her hand up to push Jane’s hair behind her ear, letting the backs of her fingers caress Jane’s cheek. She was wearing a determined expression and Jane knew that she’d end up agreeing to whatever was going to be proposed.
“Your mother is bored and lonely. I think you and I should do something nice for her and take her out for dinner or drinks.” Jane opened her mouth but Maura beat her to it. “Not to the Dirty Robber.”
Jane sighed. “I don’t know how she can be bored. She lives with you. She’s with us every day at work, and then pretty much every night at your place. And she has friends. Tons of them!”
“I know.” Maura continued to touch the skin on Jane’s face and neck, making it difficult for her to concentrate. “But I think her friends have acted a little strangely since she moved out of the family home. She thinks they don’t know what to say to her.”
“Fucking catholics,” Jane muttered. “They preach all this ‘love thy neighbour’ crap, until someone actually needs help because her goddamned husband walked out on her.”
“The dichotomies in organised religion are fascinating, I agree.” Maura raked her hand through Jane’s wavy hair. “So, what do you think? A nice dinner and then a cocktail bar perhaps?”
Jane caught Maura’s hand in her own and brought it to her lips, kissing the tips of each of her fingers.
“Does this mean I have to get dressed up all fancy?” She dipped her chin and looked up at Maura with her best puppy eyes, attempting to move the subject away from her mother. Maura smiled and cradled Jane’s cheek, leaning in to press a slow, sensuous kiss to her lips, pulling back just enough to murmur against her mouth.
“Yes. But you know how much I love it when you dress all fancy.”
Rolling her eyes, Jane stole another kiss, her hand resting on the back of Maura’s neck to keep her close.
“I know how much you love taking fancy clothes off of me.”
Maura grinned lazily and went in for another kiss, this time she moved so that she was lying mostly on top of Jane, kissing her way along her strong jaw until she reached her ear.
“That, my darling, is just an added bonus.” She nipped at Jane’s earlobe. “But right now, let me make it up to you for mentioning your mother while in a state of undress.”
Jane groaned and turned her face into Maura’s hair. “You just did it again!”
---
The following day, Jane stood tapping her foot while Maura relayed their conversation to Angela at the precinct, in slightly more detail than necessary. She was sure her mother didn’t need to hear that they had just ‘indulged in some very satisfactory lovemaking’ before they talked about her. But when Maura got to the part about dinner and drinks in a fancy-schmancy place, Angela clapped her hands together like a kindergartener, and a little of Jane’s annoyance disappeared. It really seemed like the invitation made her Ma happy.
“I’ve never been for cocktails!” Angela’s voice was high and excited like Jane hadn’t heard in weeks. Maybe months. “We’ll be just like those girls in Sex and the City!”
“Yes! Exactly like that!” Her Ma’s excitement seemed to have transferred to Maura and Jane made a mental note to inform her girlfriend that there would be no sharing of sexual experiences at this dinner.
“I’d be the Samantha, I think.” Angela ran a hand down her side in what Jane assumed was supposed to be a ‘sexy’ way. “‘Cause I think I have a natural sensuality.”
“Oh, Ma, ew.” Jane’s face twisted in disgust and she backed up a few steps. “I do not want to hear about your sensuality, natural or otherwise. I might lose my breakfast.”
Maura looked at her sternly and grasped her hand, pulling her back to where she’d been. Angela continued on as if Jane hadn’t spoken.
“You’d be the Charlotte, of course, Maura. And Janie would have to be the Miranda.”
Having never seen a single episode of the show, Jane felt she might be at a distinct disadvantage in this conversation.
“Hey! I don’t know any of these people so I don’t know if I’m being insulted or not!” She nudged Maura. “Am I?”
“Miranda is very intelligent, sweetheart,” Maura assured her, rubbing her arm.
“And crabby and sarcastic.” Angela added. “And she wears men’s suits.”
Jane’s mouth dropped open indignantly. Maura tilted her head to the side in thought.
“More so in the earlier seasons. Her style of dress did become more feminine as time moved on.”
Folding her arms across her chest, Jane looked from her mother to her girlfriend. She raised an eyebrow.
“So, I’m the crabby, sarcastic, manly one? Really?”
Maura took hold of both of Jane’s forearms, looking deep into her eyes. “Jane, you are in no way masculine.”
She waited for elaboration. None came.
“But I’m crabby and sarcastic?”
Maura pressed her lips together. “You are occasionally irritable and often sarcastic.” Jane smiled indulgently at Maura’s attempt at tact, until her mother pitched in.
“Try all the time.”
“Hey!” Jane pointed an accusatory finger. “Do you want me to get dressed up and go out for sissy drinks with you or not?”
“Of course I do.” Angela grabbed Jane’s face and pulled her in, smooshing a kiss against her cheek. “You’re such a good daughter for doing this for your old spinster mother.”
“Ma!” Jane protested, pushing her mother away and wiping at her cheek furiously. Angela just shrugged and did exactly the same to Maura, who not only welcomed the attention, but practically glowed under it. Jane made a show of rolling her eyes and tugging on Maura’s hand, but deep inside she was glad that her mother loved Maura. Maura deserved all the love in the world.
“Tomorrow at 7, Ma.” Jane called over her shoulder as she dragged Maura out of the café. “I’ll pick the two of you up at Maura’s.”
Her mother didn’t reply, but instead starting making weird ‘dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-dun-dun’ sounds.
“What is she doing?” Jane asked, speaking out the side of her mouth.
“I believe that is the ‘Sex and the City’ theme tune,” Maura supplied, helpfully.
Jane punched the button for the elevator. “God help us all.”
---
Later that night, they were brushing their teeth at the twin sinks in Maura’s master bathroom. Jane finished first, as usual, and gargled with mouthwash before spitting and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She turned and leaned her hip against the counter, watching as Maura finished up, dabbing at her mouth daintily with a towel and picking up her moisturiser.
“I can’t believe you watched a bubblegum show like Sex and the City.”
Maura paused with her hand midway to her face, a glob of white lotion on her outstretched fingers.
“I...watched for the shoes.” She started rubbing moisturiser into her cheek, looking into the mirror to avoid Jane’s disbelieving smirk.
“Is that like buying Playboy for the articles?”
Maura finished her skincare routine and turned to Jane, confused.
“Jane, I don’t think people buy Playboy for the articles. I’m quite sure they buy it to look at pictures of naked women in provocative poses.”
Jane threw up her hands in mock frustration, barking a laugh. “How do you even function in society?”
Maura just grinned and shrugged one shoulder. “I have you to help me.”
Frustration, mock or not, disappeared and was replaced by the warm, gooey feeling in Jane’s chest that appeared whenever Maura did something particularly adorable. She opened her arms and beckoned with her head.
“C’mere.” Maura eagerly moved into her embrace, squeezing her tightly as Jane wrapped her arms around the shorter woman’s shoulders. Burying her nose in Maura’s hair, Jane let out a little chuckle.
“There’s only one of you in the whole wide world, Maura Isles.”
She lifted her head as Maura tilted her own back so that she could look up at Jane.
“That’s true of everyone, Jane . We are all distinct beings with our own unique genetic make-up, except for monozygo-“
Sensing a lengthy dissertation on the composition and properties of DNA, Jane decided to interject. “Maura. Just let me kiss you, okay? And then take you to bed.”
Maura grinned.
“I have no objection to that course of action.”
---
Jane decided not to use the key she had for Maura’s house, and instead rang the doorbell. She pulled at the hem of her dress, a little self conscious of the expanse of leg on show. Rather than wear one of the three dresses she already possessed, Jane had actually gone shopping and purchased a new one to surprise Maura with. She’d bought it in the same store her mother had got her ‘little black dress’ from because she liked the fit of that one. The new one was a striking red and came to the middle of her thigh. The top was one of those silly things that tied behind the neck and had no back. It had seemed really nice in the store, and the staff had fallen all over themselves gushing about it when she asked for their opinion, but she felt kinda exposed now that she was actually outside. She’d worn her hair down in somewhat tamed waves to give her a little more cover, but still, she was basically wearing a napkin and high heels.
Any reservations she might have had about the dress dissolved as soon as Maura opened the door. Instead of offering Jane her usual warm smile and kiss hello, Maura’s jaw actually dropped when her eyes landed on the woman on her stoop. She openly dragged her gaze up and down Jane’s body. Jane grinned and slowly turned around, hearing Maura whimper as she caught a glimpse of her exposed back. Turning back to face the other woman, Jane gestured at herself.
“You like?”
Maura appeared to be incapable of speech, but she nodded vigorously. Jane laughed and held out the single red tulip she’d been twirling nervously between her fingers. “For you.”
Reaching out to take the flower, Maura shook her head and looked up into Jane’s eyes.
“You are breathtaking and you don’t even know it.”
This knocked Jane off-kilter again and she looked at her feet, shuffling them as a blush crept up her neck. Maura’s hand on her chin brought her face back up to meet sparkling hazel eyes.
“I mean it, Jane. You are the reason designers make clothes. You’re...there are no words to adequately convey how beautiful you are.”
“Maura,” Jane growled, her face approaching the colour of her dress. “Quit it. I scrub up pretty good. Let’s just leave it at that.” She let her eyes take in what the other woman had on; a deep blue silk dress with a daring neckline and ornate gold stitching on the straps. Jane smiled. “You, on the other hand, are stunning.”
“Thank you,” Maura said, dipping her head and looking up at Jane through her eyelashes. “Can I just...” She stepped closer to Jane and kissed her cheek, one hand sneaking around to rest on the bare skin of Jane’s back. Maura smiled against her cheek. “Oh, I like this dress. I like this dress very much.”
“Yeah, I thought you might.” Jane turned to give Maura a real kiss.
“Janie!”
Jane groaned. Her mother really had the most unfortunate timing. She reluctantly drew away from Maura and turned to smile at Angela. “You look nice, Ma.” Angela was wearing an elegant skirt suit in a dark green colour.
“Me? What about you?” Angela put a hand over her heart. “You know, Jane, sometimes I forget what a knockout you really are.”
“Thanks…I think.”
“Come here.” Angela opened up her arms wide and Jane sighed, but let her mother hug her. She was less pleased when she was grabbed by the chin, her face forcibly turned towards Maura while her cheeks were squeezed.
“Isn’t my daughter a looker, huh?”
Maura seemed to be amused by the display, but when she answered, it was earnest. “She most certainly is.”
Shaking free of her mother’s hold, Jane shook her head, looking from one to the other. “And you wonder why I don’t wear stuff like this very often?”
Her mother looked at her like she was an idiot. “But Jane, if you did, we wouldn’t have to make a big deal out of it, because it wouldn’t be such a big change.”
“Just…” She couldn’t argue with the logic. “Just get in the car, Ma.” She turned to Maura with a smile and held her arm out. “Shall we?”
“We shall.” Maura took the offered arm and they headed out into the evening.
---
“Oh, Janie! Look at these drinks! They’re so sophisticated. Cosmos!”
Jane eyed the glasses the waiter was distributing with disdain. “Is ‘sophisticated’ another word for ‘little’? The price these are, I should be getting a bucket of the stuff.”
“Jane.” Maura warned and Jane rolled her eyes, but smiled and kissed Maura’s cheek.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be good.”
Jane took the teeny little straw between her fingers and sipped some of the pink liquid.
“Oh my God...that is disgusting!”
“Shut up, Jane! I’m sure it’s lovely!” Angela took a sip, one of her eyes almost closed and her lips pursed up like she’d just sucked a lemon. “It’s...lovely.”
“It is lovely.” Maura agreed. “So many bartenders are too heavy with the cranberry juice and it can feel watered down. This one is just tart enough.”
She looked between the two Rizzolis. “You don’t like them?”
“I do!” Angela protested. “I do, I just...thought it would be sweeter.”
“Oh, if you’re looking for sweet, might I recommend a French Martini next? Delicious.”
Jane slid her cocktail glass across the table to sit in front of Maura.
“You can have mine, I’m having a beer.” Two sets of disapproving eyes turned on her. She sighed. “Jesus, I’ll ask them to put it in a damn martini glass if that will make the two of you happier.”
Maura’s face softened and she put a hand on Jane’s knee under the table. “You should drink what you want to drink, sweetie.”
“Thank you.” Jane watched her mother’s face contort as she tried another sip of the drink in front of her. Reaching over she yanked it away and slid it over to Maura. “Have that one too.”
Angela turned around in her seat to try to attract the waiter’s attention. Maura looked at the three full glasses in front of her and then back at Jane with a teasing smile. “Why, Detective Rizzoli, are you trying to get me drunk?”
“Absolutely. How else am I gonna have my wicked way with you later?” Jane winked.
“I don’t need to be drunk for that, Jane.” Maura leaned in close. “I’ve been wet since I first laid eyes on you tonight.”
Jane’s eyes widened and she choked on thin air. Angela looked over at them curiously. “You okay, baby?”
“Uh, yeah…” Jane glared at Maura who was sipping on one of her cocktails, all innocence. “I’m…fine. Just get me a drink, Ma. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.”
---
The bar had live jazz music after nine and the small dancefloor filled up quickly. Angela had been asked to dance by a few men and was currently occupied at the bar by a charming older gentleman. Jane was watching them, making sure he was not being inappropriate, when she felt a tug on her arm. She turned and smiled at the sight of Maura after a number of cocktails. She had a slight flush on her cheeks, her hair was just a little unruly and her smile was lopsided.
“Dance with me.”
It wasn’t a question. Jane’s answer would have been ‘yes’ anyway. She allowed Maura to pull her to her feet and lead her out onto the crowded floor. When they found a space, Maura turned and melted against Jane. Her curves fit against Jane’s perfectly and her head rested on her shoulder as they swayed to a slow, mellow number. Jane’s hands found Maura’s hips as Maura’s arms wrapped around her back, hands splayed open on the bare skin there. They swayed together as the song stretched out, content to communicate with touch. Jane closed her eyes and kissed Maura’s forehead.
As the last few notes of the song lingered in the air, Maura looked up and smiled. “Thank you for the dance.”
“I think you did most of the dancing. I just kinda leaned.” Jane dipped her head and kissed Maura’s nose. “Thank you for tonight. I think Ma’s really enjoyed herself. And…so have I. We need to do this more, without my mother.”
“Do what?” Maura led them back to their table.
“Go out. Be us. Without being on call or being all wound up about a case.” Jane sat down heavily and Maura pushed her own chair nearer before taking a seat.
“Is this Jane Rizzoli saying that she wants to improve her work/life balance?” Maura asked, pretending to be aghast.
Jane bumped their shoulders together. “Shut up.”
“Sorry.” Maura settled against Jane, linking their fingers loosely. “I’m in favour of more time for ourselves.”
“Then it’s settled.” Jane nodded.
“Oh my God my feet are killing me!” Angela plonked down into her chair. “These shoes look pretty but they are not comfortable at all.” She looked over at Maura. “How do you wear these all the time?”
“Practise,” Maura said with a shrug.
“Yeah, well I don’t think I wanna practise much more tonight, I think we should get going. They’re hurting my corns.” Angela slipped her shoes off and breathed a sigh of relief. “George gave me his number, we’re going to play bridge next week some time.” Then she sighed again, for a different reason. “These ‘hold it all in’ panties make me need to pee a lot. I’ll be right back.”
Jane watched her mother hobble off to the bathroom and nudged Maura.
“Corns, bridge dates and ‘hold it in’ panties.” She quirked an eyebrow. “So, are we living the ‘Sex and the City’ lifestyle or what?”
Maura just laughed and kissed her. “I think this is more ‘Sexagenarian and the City’ to be honest.”
Jane perked up. “Hey! You made a joke! And it was almost funny!”
Maura narrowed her eyes. “It was funny.”
“Mildly.”
“Very.”
“Maura, for you, it was hilarious.”
“Thank you.” A pause. “Hey!
AUTHOR:
the_girl_20FANDOM: Rizzoli and Isles
PAIRING: Jane/Maura
SUMMARY: Angela needs cheering up.
RATING: R
WORD COUNT: ~3500
DISCLAIMER: Don't own 'em.
SPOILERS: Set somewhere vaguely in season 2
AUTHOR'S NOTES: Part of a series based on this prompt: Jane/Maura, from the first meeting to where they are now (together or on the verge of it, idc) via the drinks they drink (each meeting should have some sort of beverage). Follows Coffee, Wine and Chicken Soup
AUTHOR'S NOTES 2: I should maybe have said that I'm not posting all of the fics in chronological order. I will be going back and forth to different points in their relationship. :)
They were lying in Jane’s bed, covers barely past their waists. Jane trailed a finger up Maura’s spine, smiling when it caused Maura to arch her back, pressing her breasts further into Jane’s side. Maura shifted, resettling her head on Jane’s shoulder, a hand tracing patterns on Jane’s abdomen. Jane loved these moments. When there were no dead bodies and no bad guys. When it was just the two of them with nothing to do but enjoy each other’s company. She turned her head and pressed a soft kiss against Maura’s closed eyelid.
“I think we should take your mother out.”
Jane froze. Thoughts of her mother were not welcome at times like this.
“Maura, what did we say about bringing up my mother, my brothers or my work colleagues when we have no clothes on?”
Maura moved so that she was leaning up on her elbow, looking down at Jane, her face serious. Though with her breasts clearly on display, Jane found it difficult to focus on her face. “That it freaks you out and I should try not to do it anymore.”
“Yes, that’s right.” Jane said, nodding. “And did you? Try?”
“Yes, I’m sure I did.” Maura’s hand slid down Jane’s stomach and wrapped around her hip, her thumb stroking over the prominent bone. “But this is important. I really think we should take your mother out.”
Jane yawned and stretched her arms out above her head. “I know she’s annoying, but organising a hit on her is a bit extreme.” She glanced up to find Maura looking back at her in confusion.
“Okay, mob humour perhaps wasn’t the best choice for you.” Maura frowned. “Or, you know, any kind of humour.” The frown deepened and she turned away from Jane, rolling onto her side. Jane grabbed her before she could go far and pulled her back into her arms. Maura put up no resistance, allowing herself to be enveloped by Jane’s long limbs. Jane kissed her shoulder and tightened her arms for a second.
“Okay, I’m listening. Tell me.”
There was a moment’s pause in which Jane wondered if she’d have to apologise further, but then Maura turned around again, still in the circle of Jane’s arms. She brought her hand up to push Jane’s hair behind her ear, letting the backs of her fingers caress Jane’s cheek. She was wearing a determined expression and Jane knew that she’d end up agreeing to whatever was going to be proposed.
“Your mother is bored and lonely. I think you and I should do something nice for her and take her out for dinner or drinks.” Jane opened her mouth but Maura beat her to it. “Not to the Dirty Robber.”
Jane sighed. “I don’t know how she can be bored. She lives with you. She’s with us every day at work, and then pretty much every night at your place. And she has friends. Tons of them!”
“I know.” Maura continued to touch the skin on Jane’s face and neck, making it difficult for her to concentrate. “But I think her friends have acted a little strangely since she moved out of the family home. She thinks they don’t know what to say to her.”
“Fucking catholics,” Jane muttered. “They preach all this ‘love thy neighbour’ crap, until someone actually needs help because her goddamned husband walked out on her.”
“The dichotomies in organised religion are fascinating, I agree.” Maura raked her hand through Jane’s wavy hair. “So, what do you think? A nice dinner and then a cocktail bar perhaps?”
Jane caught Maura’s hand in her own and brought it to her lips, kissing the tips of each of her fingers.
“Does this mean I have to get dressed up all fancy?” She dipped her chin and looked up at Maura with her best puppy eyes, attempting to move the subject away from her mother. Maura smiled and cradled Jane’s cheek, leaning in to press a slow, sensuous kiss to her lips, pulling back just enough to murmur against her mouth.
“Yes. But you know how much I love it when you dress all fancy.”
Rolling her eyes, Jane stole another kiss, her hand resting on the back of Maura’s neck to keep her close.
“I know how much you love taking fancy clothes off of me.”
Maura grinned lazily and went in for another kiss, this time she moved so that she was lying mostly on top of Jane, kissing her way along her strong jaw until she reached her ear.
“That, my darling, is just an added bonus.” She nipped at Jane’s earlobe. “But right now, let me make it up to you for mentioning your mother while in a state of undress.”
Jane groaned and turned her face into Maura’s hair. “You just did it again!”
---
The following day, Jane stood tapping her foot while Maura relayed their conversation to Angela at the precinct, in slightly more detail than necessary. She was sure her mother didn’t need to hear that they had just ‘indulged in some very satisfactory lovemaking’ before they talked about her. But when Maura got to the part about dinner and drinks in a fancy-schmancy place, Angela clapped her hands together like a kindergartener, and a little of Jane’s annoyance disappeared. It really seemed like the invitation made her Ma happy.
“I’ve never been for cocktails!” Angela’s voice was high and excited like Jane hadn’t heard in weeks. Maybe months. “We’ll be just like those girls in Sex and the City!”
“Yes! Exactly like that!” Her Ma’s excitement seemed to have transferred to Maura and Jane made a mental note to inform her girlfriend that there would be no sharing of sexual experiences at this dinner.
“I’d be the Samantha, I think.” Angela ran a hand down her side in what Jane assumed was supposed to be a ‘sexy’ way. “‘Cause I think I have a natural sensuality.”
“Oh, Ma, ew.” Jane’s face twisted in disgust and she backed up a few steps. “I do not want to hear about your sensuality, natural or otherwise. I might lose my breakfast.”
Maura looked at her sternly and grasped her hand, pulling her back to where she’d been. Angela continued on as if Jane hadn’t spoken.
“You’d be the Charlotte, of course, Maura. And Janie would have to be the Miranda.”
Having never seen a single episode of the show, Jane felt she might be at a distinct disadvantage in this conversation.
“Hey! I don’t know any of these people so I don’t know if I’m being insulted or not!” She nudged Maura. “Am I?”
“Miranda is very intelligent, sweetheart,” Maura assured her, rubbing her arm.
“And crabby and sarcastic.” Angela added. “And she wears men’s suits.”
Jane’s mouth dropped open indignantly. Maura tilted her head to the side in thought.
“More so in the earlier seasons. Her style of dress did become more feminine as time moved on.”
Folding her arms across her chest, Jane looked from her mother to her girlfriend. She raised an eyebrow.
“So, I’m the crabby, sarcastic, manly one? Really?”
Maura took hold of both of Jane’s forearms, looking deep into her eyes. “Jane, you are in no way masculine.”
She waited for elaboration. None came.
“But I’m crabby and sarcastic?”
Maura pressed her lips together. “You are occasionally irritable and often sarcastic.” Jane smiled indulgently at Maura’s attempt at tact, until her mother pitched in.
“Try all the time.”
“Hey!” Jane pointed an accusatory finger. “Do you want me to get dressed up and go out for sissy drinks with you or not?”
“Of course I do.” Angela grabbed Jane’s face and pulled her in, smooshing a kiss against her cheek. “You’re such a good daughter for doing this for your old spinster mother.”
“Ma!” Jane protested, pushing her mother away and wiping at her cheek furiously. Angela just shrugged and did exactly the same to Maura, who not only welcomed the attention, but practically glowed under it. Jane made a show of rolling her eyes and tugging on Maura’s hand, but deep inside she was glad that her mother loved Maura. Maura deserved all the love in the world.
“Tomorrow at 7, Ma.” Jane called over her shoulder as she dragged Maura out of the café. “I’ll pick the two of you up at Maura’s.”
Her mother didn’t reply, but instead starting making weird ‘dun-dun-dun, dun-dun-dun-dun’ sounds.
“What is she doing?” Jane asked, speaking out the side of her mouth.
“I believe that is the ‘Sex and the City’ theme tune,” Maura supplied, helpfully.
Jane punched the button for the elevator. “God help us all.”
---
Later that night, they were brushing their teeth at the twin sinks in Maura’s master bathroom. Jane finished first, as usual, and gargled with mouthwash before spitting and wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. She turned and leaned her hip against the counter, watching as Maura finished up, dabbing at her mouth daintily with a towel and picking up her moisturiser.
“I can’t believe you watched a bubblegum show like Sex and the City.”
Maura paused with her hand midway to her face, a glob of white lotion on her outstretched fingers.
“I...watched for the shoes.” She started rubbing moisturiser into her cheek, looking into the mirror to avoid Jane’s disbelieving smirk.
“Is that like buying Playboy for the articles?”
Maura finished her skincare routine and turned to Jane, confused.
“Jane, I don’t think people buy Playboy for the articles. I’m quite sure they buy it to look at pictures of naked women in provocative poses.”
Jane threw up her hands in mock frustration, barking a laugh. “How do you even function in society?”
Maura just grinned and shrugged one shoulder. “I have you to help me.”
Frustration, mock or not, disappeared and was replaced by the warm, gooey feeling in Jane’s chest that appeared whenever Maura did something particularly adorable. She opened her arms and beckoned with her head.
“C’mere.” Maura eagerly moved into her embrace, squeezing her tightly as Jane wrapped her arms around the shorter woman’s shoulders. Burying her nose in Maura’s hair, Jane let out a little chuckle.
“There’s only one of you in the whole wide world, Maura Isles.”
She lifted her head as Maura tilted her own back so that she could look up at Jane.
“That’s true of everyone, Jane . We are all distinct beings with our own unique genetic make-up, except for monozygo-“
Sensing a lengthy dissertation on the composition and properties of DNA, Jane decided to interject. “Maura. Just let me kiss you, okay? And then take you to bed.”
Maura grinned.
“I have no objection to that course of action.”
---
Jane decided not to use the key she had for Maura’s house, and instead rang the doorbell. She pulled at the hem of her dress, a little self conscious of the expanse of leg on show. Rather than wear one of the three dresses she already possessed, Jane had actually gone shopping and purchased a new one to surprise Maura with. She’d bought it in the same store her mother had got her ‘little black dress’ from because she liked the fit of that one. The new one was a striking red and came to the middle of her thigh. The top was one of those silly things that tied behind the neck and had no back. It had seemed really nice in the store, and the staff had fallen all over themselves gushing about it when she asked for their opinion, but she felt kinda exposed now that she was actually outside. She’d worn her hair down in somewhat tamed waves to give her a little more cover, but still, she was basically wearing a napkin and high heels.
Any reservations she might have had about the dress dissolved as soon as Maura opened the door. Instead of offering Jane her usual warm smile and kiss hello, Maura’s jaw actually dropped when her eyes landed on the woman on her stoop. She openly dragged her gaze up and down Jane’s body. Jane grinned and slowly turned around, hearing Maura whimper as she caught a glimpse of her exposed back. Turning back to face the other woman, Jane gestured at herself.
“You like?”
Maura appeared to be incapable of speech, but she nodded vigorously. Jane laughed and held out the single red tulip she’d been twirling nervously between her fingers. “For you.”
Reaching out to take the flower, Maura shook her head and looked up into Jane’s eyes.
“You are breathtaking and you don’t even know it.”
This knocked Jane off-kilter again and she looked at her feet, shuffling them as a blush crept up her neck. Maura’s hand on her chin brought her face back up to meet sparkling hazel eyes.
“I mean it, Jane. You are the reason designers make clothes. You’re...there are no words to adequately convey how beautiful you are.”
“Maura,” Jane growled, her face approaching the colour of her dress. “Quit it. I scrub up pretty good. Let’s just leave it at that.” She let her eyes take in what the other woman had on; a deep blue silk dress with a daring neckline and ornate gold stitching on the straps. Jane smiled. “You, on the other hand, are stunning.”
“Thank you,” Maura said, dipping her head and looking up at Jane through her eyelashes. “Can I just...” She stepped closer to Jane and kissed her cheek, one hand sneaking around to rest on the bare skin of Jane’s back. Maura smiled against her cheek. “Oh, I like this dress. I like this dress very much.”
“Yeah, I thought you might.” Jane turned to give Maura a real kiss.
“Janie!”
Jane groaned. Her mother really had the most unfortunate timing. She reluctantly drew away from Maura and turned to smile at Angela. “You look nice, Ma.” Angela was wearing an elegant skirt suit in a dark green colour.
“Me? What about you?” Angela put a hand over her heart. “You know, Jane, sometimes I forget what a knockout you really are.”
“Thanks…I think.”
“Come here.” Angela opened up her arms wide and Jane sighed, but let her mother hug her. She was less pleased when she was grabbed by the chin, her face forcibly turned towards Maura while her cheeks were squeezed.
“Isn’t my daughter a looker, huh?”
Maura seemed to be amused by the display, but when she answered, it was earnest. “She most certainly is.”
Shaking free of her mother’s hold, Jane shook her head, looking from one to the other. “And you wonder why I don’t wear stuff like this very often?”
Her mother looked at her like she was an idiot. “But Jane, if you did, we wouldn’t have to make a big deal out of it, because it wouldn’t be such a big change.”
“Just…” She couldn’t argue with the logic. “Just get in the car, Ma.” She turned to Maura with a smile and held her arm out. “Shall we?”
“We shall.” Maura took the offered arm and they headed out into the evening.
---
“Oh, Janie! Look at these drinks! They’re so sophisticated. Cosmos!”
Jane eyed the glasses the waiter was distributing with disdain. “Is ‘sophisticated’ another word for ‘little’? The price these are, I should be getting a bucket of the stuff.”
“Jane.” Maura warned and Jane rolled her eyes, but smiled and kissed Maura’s cheek.
“I’m sorry. I’ll be good.”
Jane took the teeny little straw between her fingers and sipped some of the pink liquid.
“Oh my God...that is disgusting!”
“Shut up, Jane! I’m sure it’s lovely!” Angela took a sip, one of her eyes almost closed and her lips pursed up like she’d just sucked a lemon. “It’s...lovely.”
“It is lovely.” Maura agreed. “So many bartenders are too heavy with the cranberry juice and it can feel watered down. This one is just tart enough.”
She looked between the two Rizzolis. “You don’t like them?”
“I do!” Angela protested. “I do, I just...thought it would be sweeter.”
“Oh, if you’re looking for sweet, might I recommend a French Martini next? Delicious.”
Jane slid her cocktail glass across the table to sit in front of Maura.
“You can have mine, I’m having a beer.” Two sets of disapproving eyes turned on her. She sighed. “Jesus, I’ll ask them to put it in a damn martini glass if that will make the two of you happier.”
Maura’s face softened and she put a hand on Jane’s knee under the table. “You should drink what you want to drink, sweetie.”
“Thank you.” Jane watched her mother’s face contort as she tried another sip of the drink in front of her. Reaching over she yanked it away and slid it over to Maura. “Have that one too.”
Angela turned around in her seat to try to attract the waiter’s attention. Maura looked at the three full glasses in front of her and then back at Jane with a teasing smile. “Why, Detective Rizzoli, are you trying to get me drunk?”
“Absolutely. How else am I gonna have my wicked way with you later?” Jane winked.
“I don’t need to be drunk for that, Jane.” Maura leaned in close. “I’ve been wet since I first laid eyes on you tonight.”
Jane’s eyes widened and she choked on thin air. Angela looked over at them curiously. “You okay, baby?”
“Uh, yeah…” Jane glared at Maura who was sipping on one of her cocktails, all innocence. “I’m…fine. Just get me a drink, Ma. I have a feeling I’m going to need it.”
---
The bar had live jazz music after nine and the small dancefloor filled up quickly. Angela had been asked to dance by a few men and was currently occupied at the bar by a charming older gentleman. Jane was watching them, making sure he was not being inappropriate, when she felt a tug on her arm. She turned and smiled at the sight of Maura after a number of cocktails. She had a slight flush on her cheeks, her hair was just a little unruly and her smile was lopsided.
“Dance with me.”
It wasn’t a question. Jane’s answer would have been ‘yes’ anyway. She allowed Maura to pull her to her feet and lead her out onto the crowded floor. When they found a space, Maura turned and melted against Jane. Her curves fit against Jane’s perfectly and her head rested on her shoulder as they swayed to a slow, mellow number. Jane’s hands found Maura’s hips as Maura’s arms wrapped around her back, hands splayed open on the bare skin there. They swayed together as the song stretched out, content to communicate with touch. Jane closed her eyes and kissed Maura’s forehead.
As the last few notes of the song lingered in the air, Maura looked up and smiled. “Thank you for the dance.”
“I think you did most of the dancing. I just kinda leaned.” Jane dipped her head and kissed Maura’s nose. “Thank you for tonight. I think Ma’s really enjoyed herself. And…so have I. We need to do this more, without my mother.”
“Do what?” Maura led them back to their table.
“Go out. Be us. Without being on call or being all wound up about a case.” Jane sat down heavily and Maura pushed her own chair nearer before taking a seat.
“Is this Jane Rizzoli saying that she wants to improve her work/life balance?” Maura asked, pretending to be aghast.
Jane bumped their shoulders together. “Shut up.”
“Sorry.” Maura settled against Jane, linking their fingers loosely. “I’m in favour of more time for ourselves.”
“Then it’s settled.” Jane nodded.
“Oh my God my feet are killing me!” Angela plonked down into her chair. “These shoes look pretty but they are not comfortable at all.” She looked over at Maura. “How do you wear these all the time?”
“Practise,” Maura said with a shrug.
“Yeah, well I don’t think I wanna practise much more tonight, I think we should get going. They’re hurting my corns.” Angela slipped her shoes off and breathed a sigh of relief. “George gave me his number, we’re going to play bridge next week some time.” Then she sighed again, for a different reason. “These ‘hold it all in’ panties make me need to pee a lot. I’ll be right back.”
Jane watched her mother hobble off to the bathroom and nudged Maura.
“Corns, bridge dates and ‘hold it in’ panties.” She quirked an eyebrow. “So, are we living the ‘Sex and the City’ lifestyle or what?”
Maura just laughed and kissed her. “I think this is more ‘Sexagenarian and the City’ to be honest.”
Jane perked up. “Hey! You made a joke! And it was almost funny!”
Maura narrowed her eyes. “It was funny.”
“Mildly.”
“Very.”
“Maura, for you, it was hilarious.”
“Thank you.” A pause. “Hey!