"Take off your clothes."

"Excuse me?"

"Come on, Jane. Don't be shy."

"I am not shy."

"Then take them off."

"I – you – no." spluttered Jane.

The two stood in the kitchen, an embarrassed looking Jane standing in the middle covered with the smooth, sticky remnants of a smoothie explosion. Maura, looking highly amused, had successfully managed to move out of the way and duck behind the counter when she saw what was about to happen. Jane, however, got the full force of the blast. Her simple green t-shirt was splotched with globs of baby girl pink, giving it a spotted, giraffe-like pattern. Even her jeans took some of the mess.

"Why the hell," began Jane through gritted teeth. " – didn't you tell me that I forgot to put the lid back on?"

"If I had noticed, I would have told you."

"I don't even believe this thing actually makes smoothies. It looks more like a robot. Too many buttons, too many blinking lights. Did you bring it back from the future or something?"

"Time travel doesn't exist, Jane." chastised Maura, lifting a kitchen towel from the rack and gliding over to Jane. She wiped a bit of the beverage off Jane's forehead; Jane flinched and pulled back, and Maura simply let the towel fall into Jane's own hands so she could clean it off herself, but not first without an eye roll. "You're acting like a child."

"My pride is wounded."

"Well your clothes are going to be permanently wounded if you don't take them off and let me throw them in the wash."

"I can go in the bedroom – "

Maura threw her arm in front of Jane to stop her from leaving the kitchen area. "Oh no you will not. You're dripping, Jane. You're not walking up the stairs dripping smoothie all over my carpet and God knows what else. No, just take your clothes off here and I can put them in the wash. You can take a shower and I'll have some clothes waiting for you. I'm sure you have some spares here somewhere."

"Maura," Jane whined.

"Stop acting like a child and take your shirt off."

"Turn around then!"

"Are you being serious or is this one of your funny moments that I don't understand?" asked Maura with a raised eyebrow. Jane glowered at her. "Well, how am I supposed to know, honestly? And really Jane, I've seen you in less. This is ridiculous. You wear a sports bra and shorts to the gym. Why is this any different?"

Jane stomped her foot. "Because."

"Because why?"

"Because!"

"Because is not a reason!"

"BecauseI'mnotwearingunderwear." hissed Jane.

Maura blinked. "Oh." Her voice raised in surprise. "Well, it's not as though I was going to stand here and ogle you, you know."

"I wasn't accusing you – "

"You know, many women choose to not wear underwear, or as the term is so fondly called 'going commando'. Hygienic wise, not wearing underwear is – "

Jane grimaced. "Maura I swear if you do not stop with that train of thought I will roll all over your carpet like Jo Friday after a bath."

"You're mean."

"And you're annoying. Look, we've been working so hard on that Kowalski case that I haven't done laundry in a few weeks. Now please, Maura, please, just go upstairs and get me some clothes and come back down and give me the clothes and then I can change while you are... somewhere else."

"Could you be a little bit more specific?"

"Maura." growled Jane. Maura flashed her a smile before turning and leaving Jane alone in the kitchen, muttering under her breath all the while.

Hours passed uneventfully. Maura and Jane laid curled on the couch, Maura with her feet tucked beneath her and Jane sprawled out with her feet propped up against the coffee table. A blanket laid atop them both, a bowl of popcorn in between, and empty Thai food containers littered the table where Jane's feet were resting.

A baseball game was nearing its end. Maura had never been so unenthused by a sporting event in her life. Her mind kept slipping towards she and Jane's conversation earlier that day, when Jane stood covered in the strawberry sludge and looked throughly embarrassed at the whole predicament. It seemed wholly unlike Jane to be so uncomfortable with the prospect of changing in front of Maura and it grated the young doctor to no end. She turned to look at her friend; Jane's attention was solely directed at the television and she didn't seem to notice the scrutiny in which her friend had taken in staring at her.

"Jane?" Maura said abruptly. "Do you have body image issues?"

Jane turned slowly to look at Maura. "Excuse me?"

"Earlier you seemed quite distraught at the idea of me seeing your body unclothed. Seeing as we're both women and you certainly have nothing that I don't already have, it just seems strange that you reacted so... negatively." explained Maura. "Body image issues stemming from youth could explain – "

"Stop right there."

"What did I do now?"

"I don't have body image issues. What is so wrong about me wanting to keep my – you know – my – "

"Pubic area and chest region?"

Jane sucked in air. "Yes." she hissed. "Yes. What is so wrong about me wanting to keep that area private? I don't care if you have one! Lots of people have one! And those! That doesn't mean I want to go seeing lots of peoples privates!"

"Prude." Maura smirked.

"Oh! You did not just call me a prude."

"I do believe I did."

"What, are we in middle school? Come on, Maura."

Maura laughed. "Well come on, Jane. We're both women. There's nothing to be ashamed of."

"Okay. Fine. Fine. You want to know the truth?"

"Does anyone ever want anything less than that?"

Jane rolled her eyes. "When I was a kid, Ma and Pops sent me to camp."

"That hardly seems traumatizing."

"Would you let me finish? You never let me finish."

"Alright, alright." replied Maura lightly. "Go on."

"I was twelve or thirteen. It was a week long summer camp, and there were a good fifteen to twenty girls in a cabin. There were a bunch of bunks, you know. But the counselors – they were all teens, whatever – they wouldn't let us change in the bathrooms. There were only three or four stalls in there and they said we were all girls and it was no big deal, so the rule was we had to change in the main room. All the other girls were, well, more developed than me. Everyone had a nickname and mine was..." Jane grimaced and closed her eyes. "Mine was washboard."

"I don't understand."

"Washboard."

"Yes, a washboard is a device used to scrub clothing, although – "

"Maura, they called me a washboard because a washboard is flat." Maura tilted her head, still confused at what Jane was trying to get at. "Because I didn't have any boobs, Maura!"

"Oh! Well, Jane, girls can be very cruel, especially at that age."

"I started getting up an hour before the counselors and changing in the bathroom stalls."

"But I still don't understand. You've change in front of me before."

"Uh, yeah, from jeans and a top to a pair of pajamas, but I've never been nude in front of you. God, Maura, why does this matter so much to you anyway?"

"Because if you feel uncomfortable around me, it's my business to know."

"How do you figure?"

"You're my best friend." she said simply. "And you shouldn't be ashamed of your body. You have a very nice figure. Your stomach has always been evenly toned and the girls at camp could most certainly not give you the nickname 'washboard' anymore."

"Oh yeah," snorted Jane, taking a swig of her beer. "I'm a real beauty queen compared to Jo Friday. Standing next to you I look as good as Rondo at his best." Jane chuckled, but Maura didn't laugh. Instead a pensive look took over her features and she frowned at Jane.

"You don't really think that, do you?"

Jane's laughter dwindled. "Hm?"

"You really don't think you're beautiful?"

The darker haired woman was caught off guard by the sincerity of her friend's question. She shuffled uncomfortably beneath the blanket in an attempt to by herself some time to answer the question. After a few more seconds of stalling, Jane shrugged. "I mean... compared to you – "

"You shouldn't compare yourself with anyone, Jane." Maura paused. "Especially me. I think you're gorgeous."

Jane blushed. "Thanks," she murmured, sliding off the couch and grabbing the empty food containers. She left Maura to her thoughts, clumsily stumbling around the kitchen for a few minutes to take up some time. She dumped the containers and ran Maura's wine glass under the water and when finally there was nothing left for her to clean, she walked back over to the couch. Maura was spread out on the couch now, her feet in Jane's place. Jane bent down and picked them up and let Maura's feet fall back into her lap once she was seated. Maura was staring idly across the room, deep in thought. "Coming up with a cure for cancer over there?"

"Hm?"

"You look like you're thinking about something."

"I am."

"Want to share with the rest of the class?"

"We're the only ones here, Jane."

"Nevermind. I meant, do you want to talk about it?"

"I think it would make you uncomfortable." Maura replied honestly. "It's alright, really. Is your game over?"

For the first time Jane remembered that she had been watching a game. She tilted her head to glance at the television out of the corner of her eye, but kept most of her focus on the deeply concentrated women sitting next to her. The game looked about over. She reached forward and grabbed the remote, flicking off the television and putting her full attention on Maura. Maura sighed.

"You really didn't have to shut your game off." she said.

"It's a recording."

"What! Jane, you told me this game was live! That's why I agreed to watch it! And since when did you start recording things on my television?"

Jane grinned and shrugged. "Since you started giving me control of the remote while you showered. Now come on, Maura. I promise if I get too uncomfortable I'll wave a flag or something. You look upset."

"I'm not upset."

"Then what is it?"

"I..." she hesitated, tearing her eyes from Jane's and fiddling with the hem of the blanket. "It is simply baffling that you don't see how truly beautiful you are."

"That's what you're upset about?"

"I'm not upset." insisted Maura. "I just wish you could see you through my eyes. Really, Jane. I've always been jealous of your hair. It's a beautiful, natural color with thick waves, and your eyes match it perfectly. They're dark and mysterious and when you laugh, they get just a shade lighter, and that's when I know you're really happy, because sometimes when you smile there's this moment, just a moment, where I have to figure out if it's real or not, because you put on such a brave face all the time. But your eyes always give me my answer. And when you smile, your dimples show. I – " she trailed off. Somewhere along the lines, Maura had lost focus of what she was talking about. "Nobody deserves to feel anything but beautiful. You should know that."

"Thanks." mumbled Jane. "You didn't have to say all that. I wasn't fishing for compliments or anything."

"I know. I meant it." To lighten the mood, Maura added: " – and you have a much better complexion than Rondo, Jane."

Jane laughed. "Thanks. That's good to know." They smiled at one another, their stare lasting just a bit too longer. Both their stomachs flipped and they pulled their hands further away from each other. Jane felt a hot blush rise up to her cheeks. She laughed nervously. "We should probably go to bed. Work tomorrow."

"Right." Maura nodded and stood. She went to grab the garbage from the table, but realized that Jane had already picked it up. Jane folded the blanket while Maura gathered her slippers that she had discarded next to the couch. They met together at the foot of the stairs and left for Maura's room. Though Jane had the option of staying in the guest room, they always seemed to gravitate to Maura's room and neither thought it strange. That night felt different though. There was something different in the air between them. Maura knew that she possibly crossed a line in her speech, but she wasn't sure if Jane had felt it too.

Donning a new set of pajamas, Maura slid beneath the covers and shortly after Jane joined her. She flicked the light off next to her side of the bed and then Maura flipped over to turn off hers. The room settled and the silence slipped between them, but neither could sleep. After a half hour of laying there, Maura whispered:

"Jane, are you awake?"

"No, I'm asleep."

"Funny."

"You can't sleep?"

"No, can you?"

Jane rolled to her side to look at Maura in the dark. "Nope."

"Jane, I need to confess something." She paused. "When I was at boarding school, I didn't change in front of the other girls either."

"And you gave me all that crap earlier?!"

"Well, I got over it by my twenties."

"Still. Hypocrite."

"I am not a hypocrite."

"As good as."

Maura ignored her. "I have one more confession, but you might not like it."

"It was you who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?"

"What?"

"Nevermind. Continue."

"You're my best friend, right?"

"Of course."

"And nothing could change that?"

"Unless you have another biological father that I can shoot."

"You're not funny."

"Too soon?"

Maura rolled her eyes, though Jane couldn't see in the dark. "Anyways," she pressed on. "Earlier when I said that what I wanted to say could make you uncomfortable, I didn't really say what it was that I wanted to say, not in its entirety, because I know you, Jane, and you're uncomfortable by the most ridiculous things and really this isn't necessarily ridiculous and I could completely understand why it would make you uncomfortable, because sometimes when I think about it, even I feel uncomfortable and if I'm uncomfortable surely you'll run out of here and never come back and – "

In the dark, Jane's hand found Maura's mouth and pressed onto it. "You're rambling." she removed her hand.

"I'm sorry." Maura said lightly. Her voice shook. "I think what I might say could change everything, though, and I want to be sure that no matter what comes out of my mouth in a few seconds... you'll at least still be my friend."

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Jane," she took a deep breath. "I think you're beautiful."

"Didn't we just go over this?"

"No. In a 'sometimes I can't take my eyes off of you' kind of way, not the 'you're my best friend and I'm telling you you're pretty' kind of way. Sometimes I catch myself staring at you and I don't even realize what I'm doing, and even when we're not together, sometimes my thoughts naturally drift towards you and I wonder about the most insignificant details about your day. When we weren't talking, I hated you so much, but I mostly hated you because in that moment I knew how real my feelings were, and I hated you for it. I hated your smile and your laugh. I hated everything about you because I loved you so much. I know that doesn't make sense, Jane, I know it doesn't. But I suppose that's the point. Love isn't supposed to make sense, and I think that's how I knew this was real. Know this is real. And sometimes I think you feel the same way. I see the way you look at me and I wonder if you've ever looked at anyone else like that, because sometimes when you look at me I feel like I'm the only person you've ever seen. I'm the only one in the room, and you take my breath away. And maybe what I'm doing right in this very moment is destroying the best friendship that I have ever been blessed with, but I can't lay here next to you anymore and continue lying to myself and to you. I'm an awful liar, Jane. You know that. So I'm telling you right now that I'm in love with you, Jane Rizzoli, and whether that means that I get to love you the way I want to love you or I have to love you as my best friend, I'm going to love you for the rest of my life. I'll take anything you give me, as long as you give me something and you don't leave me." Maura was crying then, thick tears falling down to meet the sheets that lay beneath them. Her voice cracked. "Please don't leave me."

"Maura, I – " rasped Jane. She leaned in to her crying friend and brought the woman into her arms, soothingly rubbing Maura's back and pressing a light kiss to her forehead. "I won't leave you, Maura."

Maura pulled away from Jane and looked directly into her eyes. "Do you promise?" she whispered.

"I have a confession to make." Jane whispered back. "But you might not like it."

"Go on."

"You are stuck with me for the rest of your life, Maura Isles. No exceptions. That means baseball and beer, Sunday night dinners with my Ma and my brothers, my dirty laundry and Jo Friday – " Maura cut Jane off with a firm kiss, her arms slinking away from Jane's waist just long enough to prop herself up and flip Jane onto her back. She slid atop of her detective, craning down so as to not pull their lips apart. Jane's hands rose to rest on Maura's hips, her fingers tapping lightly against the thin material of Maura's tank top. They pulled apart breathlessly and Maura rested her forehead against Jane's; she placed a single kiss to Jane's nose and smiled, bringing her hand up to rest on Jane's cheek.

"I can live with that." she mumbled, trailing a new set of kisses down Jane's neck. "Jane," she said huskily, a devilish smile playing at her lips. Jane hummed in response, hardly paying much attention to anything other than the feel of Maura's lips against her skin. Maura pulled back long enough to look into Jane's eyes. She wanted the full effect of her words to hit the detective. "Take off your clothes, Washboard."

This was mostly the product of not feeling well at all. Hope you enjoyed :)