A/N- Just some mildly amusing post 401 rambling.
How do we solve a problem like Casey?
Jane is seated across from Maura on the Doctors sofa, with a beer in her hand, there is nothing much on television and so they are chatting about nothing special when Jane raises something that has been playing on her mind since her night with Casey.
"Maur, as my best friend, do you think I am incapable of being in a relationship?" Jane asks sincerely.
Maura stops her wine glass midway to her lips, surprised by Jane's sudden show of vulnerability.
"Absolutely not." She reply's definitely.
Jane smile's an unconvinced but touched kind of smile.
"You can certainly be in a relationship. You just need to open up to the idea of letting Casey in a little more." Maura continues.
"And giving up some of my independence?" Jane asks miserably.
"Maybe a little." Maura allows. "But think about it, you already do a lot of things that couples do, with me, voluntarily. We do groceries together, we cook together, we even negotiate sharing a car a lot of the time, though you could work on your control issues when it comes to driving."
Jane looks confused. "So, if I just transfer some of those things over to Casey I will actually be having a relationship with him?"
Maura nods and takes a sip of wine. "I think so."
Jane looks no happier, but feeling like she has hit upon something, Maura goes on.
"How about we confront some of your fears with regards to Casey?" She suggests enthusiastically.
Jane looks doubtful.
"Ooh I have a scenario!" Maura say's bordering on excited now. "Let's role play!"
Jane groans. "Really?" She whines.
"Okay, I'll be me and you be you." Maura instructs.
"I think I can handle that." Jane reply's, wondering how much wine her friend has had.
Maura holds her hand up to her face, pinkie and thumb extended as if the hand itself is a telephone.
"Hi Jane, It's Maura." She say's into her hand.
Jane looks deeply unimpressed and takes a drink rather than join in .
"Come on." Maura tells her. "Do you want to be alone forever?"
Jane almost spits her mouthful of beer back into the bottle. "Fine. But just so you know, this is really dumb!" Jane says. " And I refuse to do the hand." She demonstrates by mimicking Maura's phone hand gesture.
"Fine, you can be on hands free." Maura concedes. "So." She says, talking into her hand again. "Jane, could you come over I feel awful."
"What is it?" Jane asks bluntly.
Maura raises an eyebrow. "You are as unsympathetic in role play as you are in real life." She remarks.
"Well that just means I am being realistic." Jane defends.
Maura rolls her eyes, but goes on.
"I am so worried about my mob boss biological Father's impending trial and hurt by my ungrateful organ procuring Mother." Maura say's in a faux sad tone. "Please could you come over here and I can cry into your shoulder all night long?"
"Maura what is this supposed to ..."
"Just answer the question." Maura says, finally becoming impatient.
"Okay...Sure Maura, I'll be right over." Jane says.
Maura hangs up her phone-hand. "Okay, now I am Casey." She says straightening up and trying to make herself large.
Jane looked suspicious.
"Was that Maura?" Maura said in a strange version of a slightly British deep voice.
"Yes, I am going over there? She needs me?" Jane said uncertainly.
"But I have booked a table at a fancy restaurant. You have been working late every night this week and now you are going to spend your one night off at Maura's place?"
"I...she..needs me? She is my best friend and she is going through some difficult stuff right now."' Jane say's reasonably.
"Don't go. I don't want you to." Casey/Maura says.
Jane frowns. "I have to go, Casey. We can do dinner another night. Alright?" Jane insists.
"No, it's not alright." Maura say's still in her Casey voice. "In order to make yourself emotionally available to me, you have to start with being physically available to me. I mean...by being here."
"I don't think he would say that." Jane say's now.
Maura sighed and gave up the play acting. "Alright maybe he would phrase it differently but it is a legitimate complaint he might have."
"Maura? Are we still exploring my fears about Casey?" Jane said, placing her beer on the floor beside the couch and leaning forward to take Maura's hand in hers.
Maura shrugs. "Of course."
"You don't have to worry about losing me when Casey comes home okay?" Jane try's, looking Maura in the eye seriously.
"Jane, you can't possible keep up the intimacy of our friendship if you are going to have a successful relationship with Casey. Time constraints alone dictate that and that is something that you will have to accept before Casey returns. It is quite normal for friendships to take a backseat when one of the friends becomes involved with someone." Maura argues.
Jane is frowning throughout this. "Maybe I am just not cut out for a relationship." Jane dismisses as she begins to dwell on what Maura has just said.
"I'm getting another beer." Jane declares.
xxxx