So, this was just a little fluffy in my head. Characters are a bit OC, but then again, I suppose they'd have to be to hook up with each other and not the Beard of the week. A little pre-Rizzles Rizzles.
Standard Disclaimer: If I had enough monies, I would make them mine. I swear it. For now….not mine
Jane Rizzoli thought long and hard about her answer. She considered as many possibilities as she could. Ran through every outcome her alcohol muddled brain could come up with. Steeling herself, she took a deep breath and answered.
"Truth." Maura snickered.
"Chicken." She commented and Jane snorted in disbelief.
"Chicken? Really Maura? I'm no chicken..." Maura made a few half-hearted clucking noises and grinned.
"Chicky chicky chicky." She taunted and Jane huffed, crossing her arms over her chest.
"First of all, that is not the proper sound for a chicken and I for one am disappointed that you aren't more accurate. Second, and most important, I am not a chicken. Truth can be just as bad if not worse than dare if the person is smart enough to come up with a good question." She baited and Maura stopped clucking long enough to stare her in the eye.
"Hmm….fine then. Let me think…" They had been playing the age old game for a at least an hour now, each half-shot spiraling them down the slippery slope. It had started as just a way to make use of the now nearly empty bottle of vodka Jane had found stashed in one of Maura's cabinets. But the braver they became, the more intense the dares became. They'd been skirting the boundaries of their ever-shifting, ever-evolving friendship and Maura didn't really blame Jane for taking the safe route. That had been her plan for her next turn anyway. To dial it down before either of them pushed to far. But now, oh now. Now she couldn't just ask anything. She had been challenged, and damned if she wasn't gonna stump the brunette sitting next to her.
"Well?" The Detective prompted after a moment and Maura shot her an annoyed look.
"Give me a moment Jane. You're so impatient." Jane just stretched and smiled, laying with her hands crossed under the back of her head.
"Sometimes that big brain of yours thinks too much. Just ask whatever is on your mind."
"Whatever huh?"
"Yeah. That's the point of the game Maura. To ask whatever."
"I thought the object was to ask horrible embarrassing questions that you would never answer honestly otherwise?" Jane colored slightly as earlier rounds of the game flashed through her mind.
"Well that too. But only because most people don't answer anything honestly. And most people wonder about embarrassing things. Truth questions can be real eye openers too."
"It still needs to be thought about carefully."
"Why? You can't tell me that you don't have something in mind to ask me right now. Everyone always wonders things about everyone they know. It's human nature to be curious. Just ask me one of those."
"But if it's worded correctly then more than one question can be asked."
"Blah. You're just too chicken to ask me what you really want too. You're afraid I'm gonna be all 'That's what was on her mind?' or something." Maura huffed and cocked her eye to eye her friend. It was unnerving how Jane could pinpoint exactly what her fears were. That was in fact exactly what she was afraid of. She was well aware that her mind often wandered in realms that few others met her on. It stood to reason that she and Jane were on completely different pages. For her part, Jane was stretched out, eyes closed. Totally relaxed. Maura chewed on her lower lip and let the burn of the last shot force her courage.
"And what if I am?"
"Am?"
"Am scared of what you'll think when you find out what I've been wondering about." Jane smiled a bit. Now they were getting somewhere. It was about time Maura just admitted that too her. She was more than ready for a little push. Skirting the truth, the whatever this thing was, was really starting to get to her.
"It's just a game Maura. Plus, I doubt that there is anything you wonder about that's going to surprise, shock, or disgust me."
"I surprise and shock you all the time." Jane shrugged.
"I'm used to that level of shock. I meant more than normal." Maura rolled her eyes and considered her options. Or would have considered if that last shot of vodka had not fully kicked in. Given that, she just couldn't help herself.
"Okay. Say the you of the future shows up in front of you today." Jane felt her eyebrow surge up.
"Of the future? Wow Dr. You are stepping out today." The ME gave her a light thwack to the shoulder and Jane smirked. "So why'd the me of the future show up?" Maura shook her head.
"It doesn't matter why." Jane groaned playfully.
"I can't answer this question without a back story Maur." She received another smack.
"Just listen Jane. She begins to tell you all about your future."
"That would interfere with the Prime Directive." Maura stifled a groan..
"This isn't Star Wars. Or Star Trek. Or whatever show you are referring too. Shut up and let me ask my question."
"I was just saying…" Jane smirked as Maura hit her with a throw pillow before continuing.
"So she tells you all sorts of things. Such as, 'You love your job. You make great money. You own two dogs and a cat. You have three great children. And you have an amazing spouse whom you love and who loves you dearly. They complete you. You get along wonderfully and you couldn't be happier." Sensing the question part to this story, Jane cracked open an eye. Maura took a slow breath and regarded Jane as calmly and non-chalantly as she could. Here went nothing. "The she says, 'Oh, by the way, you are married to Maura."
Jane could not have done anymore to keep her eyebrow down. She certainly hadn't expected Maura to be that daring. Now how to properly respond? She did her best to keep her face neutral and Maura finished it off with an only slightly shaky voice.
"Now, are you surprised?" Jane stared for just a moment longer before leaning back again in an unconcerned fashion.
"Of course." Maura almost looked surprised.
"You are? Really?" Jane nodded.
"Yep. Three of us drove Ma nuts. I never pictured myself with more than two kids." She deadpanned and was rewarded with another pillow to the face.
"You know what I mean!" Maura huffed again at the smirk now firmly on Jane's face.
"Yeah. I know. Soooo… no. Not at all."
"At all?"
"Nope."
"Not even a little bit?"
"Nada."
"Really?"
"Yes Really."
"Oh." Maura sat back. She had expected more of a reaction from Jane. Maybe not shock but she at least expected her to think about it. It had certainly been an effort for her to ask the damn question, the least Jane could do was take it seriously. She had responded so quickly, it was like she already knew her answer.
"Really really?" She pressed again and Jane smiled softly.
"How come you don't believe that that wouldn't shock me? Do you really think that it was that out of the blue?"
"I… don't know. Kind of." Maura seemed so confused that Jane took pity on her. She sat up and faced her clueless companion with a gentle smile.
"All right then Dr Smartypants. How about this? Say that the you of the future shows up today." Maura grinned.
"She starts to tell you all sorts of things. Such as, 'You love your job. You make great money. You own two dogs and a cat. You have three great children. And you have an amazing spouse whom you love and who loves you dearly. They complete you. You get along wonderfully and you couldn't be happier." Jane could see that Maura already thought she had an answer and bit back a smirk. Time to play hardball. "Then she says, 'Oh, by the way, you are not married to Jane.'"
Maura had been looking down with a smile, already preparing to answer. She'd even been laughing a bit to have her own question turned on her like that. But Jane's twist had caught her off guard and she looked up with wide eyes.
"Now," Jane finished, "are you surprised?" Maura just stared blankly for a minute. Was she surprised? The question had thrown her off but was it because she hadn't been expecting it or because it was true? A future without Jane? Was it really that shocking? Had she really just been picturing, assuming, a life with her all along?
The more she wondered the more flustered she got until it was clear to Jane at least what her answer would be. Even if Maura didn't want, or wasn't ready to own up to it yet. So she was not entirely surprised when Maura spoke.
"You never asked me if I wanted Truth or Dare." The honey-blonde copped out finally. With a grin of triumph Jane laid back, hands beneath her head again.
"I told you Truth could be a good choice."