DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN THESE CHARACTERS.
Detective Jane Rizzoli stared at the beer bottle in her hands as she slowly spun it around on the table. The sweat from the bottle began to form a circular ring on the table around the bottom of the bottle. It was Friday night, and she was alone, sitting in the Dirty Robber. She sighed.
"Sounds like you have something pretty heavy on your mind partner." Detective Barry Frost said, as he sat down across from Jane. He slid over in the booth so Detective Vince Korsak could sit next to him. Jane responded with a noncommittal shrug. Korsak looked over toward the bar and then back at Jane.
"Where's Maura?" He asked.
"Date." Jane responded, failing to make any type of eye contact with either man. Frost and Korsak looked at one another, then back toward Jane.
"So that's what this mope fest is about? Doc went out with someone who isn't you?" Frost asked, gesturing to Jane and her beer with his hands. This got her attention. Immediately she stopped turning the bottle and looked at Frost sharply.
"Just what the Hell is that supposed to mean?" She fired at him with a slight flare of her nostrils.
"Whoa, hey, easy! It isn't supposed to mean anything. You two are usually attached at the hip, especially on weekends, or after a tough case, both of which apply now, so I get that you're feeling a bit dumped, that's all." Frost responded as he put his hands in front of him, palms facing Jane in the universal surrender signal. He turned to Korsak, "I'm going to get us a couple drinks, let me out of here." Korsak allowed Frost to get up and make his way to the bar. He returned to his seat and eyed Jane. It took her a moment to realize he was staring at her.
"What?" she asked him with typical Rizzoli ire.
"Jane," he started, "look, you and I both know what it means. We both know that this isn't just about not having your friend to hang out with on the weekend." He looked at her to gauge her response. Again, she fiddled with the bottle, long empty, in her hands. She looked at him out of the top of her eyes, "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Oh really?" he said with disbelief in his voice. "Let's examine this then." He heard her grumble under her breath but continued anyway. "Smile with her around, scowl with her not around, laugh with her around, growl with her not around, work hours as normal as a homicide detective can work with her around, all but live at the station without her around." He stopped and looked at her, waiting for some type of response.
She looked up at him, "What's your point? Or do you have one?"
"You know what my point is Jane." He sighed.
She huffed, "Okay, so what if I do? It isn't like it matters."
"Do something about it! Make it matter!" He said with slight exasperation in his voice.
"Exactly what, pray tell, would you have me do? Hmm?" she asked. Finally shoving the beer bottle to the edge of the table, she folded her hands together and placed them on the table in front of her, staring at Korsak, willing him to answer her question.
"Oh, what are we doing?" Frost asked as he approached the table, drinks in hand. Korsak moved over and allowed Frost to sit next to him again. Frost handed Jane and Korsak their drinks.
"Nothing." Jane responded quickly.
Frost didn't miss a beat, "This is about Doc huh?"
"Why would you say that?" Jane asked him.
"Oh come on Jane, there isn't a single person at this table that doesn't know." Frost responded.
"Know what?" Jane continued to act as though she was oblivious.
"Really Jane? Really? You tell us." Frost said. He waited to see if she would respond, or if she would shut down as she so often did.
A few minutes passed with no one at the table saying anything. Jane was now turning the new beer bottle in her hands. She sighed. "I don't know what to do." She sounded defeated.
"First, maybe you should actually verbalize what it is you feel like you need to do something about. Put a name on it." Korsak said. Jane looked up at him. She began chewing on her lower lip, a sign of nervousness and unease not often seen from her.
"Yeah…okay…" She paused. "I don't know what to do… about my… my feelings for…" She stalled.
"For…" Korsak coaxed her.
"Maura." She murmured so softly it was hard even for the two men sitting right across from her to hear.
"And what exactly are your feelings for her Jane?" Korsak asked gently.
She looked at him with a soft expression, "I love her, I love Maura."
"Good! Now that it's actually out there we can decide what to do about it!" Frost said excitedly.
"Do? I never said I'd do anything!" Jane responded with a bit of panic.
"Nonsense Jane. We've stood on the sidelines long enough. We've watched you two continuously dance around each other, ignoring what's right in front of both of you. It's time to do!" Korsak backed Frost on his call for action.
"Both of us?" Jane asked, a glimmer of hope evident on her face.
