A/N: I'm back. I've noticed that new stories are coming in dribs and drabs, so I thought I'd add to the mix. Miss me? :-)
Sunday family dinner had been planned and executed in much the same manner that every other Sunday family dinner had. Jane arrived a short time before her brothers to the smell of her mother's cooking in Maura's kitchen. Maura was fussing about setting the table and ensuring the throw rug and pillows on her couch were carefully arranged, despite the fact that the moment Tommy and Frankie arrived they would be out of place.
Jane attempted to pick at the food before it was served, only to be swatted away with the end of a dish cloth with a stern look from her mother, prompting her to go and make herself comfortable on the couch. Maura had soon joined her with a glass of wine and a bottle of beer for Jane, leading to a discussion about something mundane about work or the latest baseball game stats.
The arrival of Tommy and Frankie turned the volume of noise in the house up a notch as they bantered and carried on like 12 year olds. It wasn't long before dinner was served and the family took their seats at the table to enjoy a meal together; Jane and Maura, as always, sitting side by side.
But there was something different in the air that night. Something spurred on by a conversation between Jane and Maura the previous night.
Flashback: Saturday night
"I can't believe I let you talk me into buying another dress," Jane sighed as she entered Maura's house behind her with a bag in each hand, and kicked the front door shut behind her. "I already have several dresses, Maura, and I hardly wear them."
"There's nothing wrong with having options," Maura replied as she placed her bag down and made her way to the fridge. "Wine?"
"What other options do I have?" Jane replied sarcastically with a smirk as she unceremoniously placed her shopping bags by the couch before sauntering over to Maura.
"I have water, Organic Cranberry Juice, Tea…"
"Ok, ok," Jane conceded, walking up behind Maura and peering over her to look in the fridge. "After today, I could do with a beer."
Maura picked out a beer for Jane and turned to face her. "No surprises there," she mocked with a smile before she grabbed a bottle opener and passed them both to Jane.
With drinks in hand, they made a beeline for the couch, Jane's exhaustion from a day of shopping evident in the way she slumped into the couch with a loud sigh.
"Oh, how did your date go with Mr. Fancy Pants Thursday night?" Jane asked as they sat at either end of the couch.
Maura sent a sideways glance at Jane, silently admonishing her for the nick name with which she had branded her date. "As it turns out, Mr. 'fancy pants'," Maura began, accentuating the new nick name with another pointed look at Jane, "is no different from the many other men I've been on dates with." She took a sip of her wine.
Jane's expression morphed into a sympathetic smile as she reached over to place a comforting hand on Maura's shoulder. She saw the sadness behind Maura's indifference and for the life of her couldn't figure out why these men couldn't see what a catch Maura was. She really was the whole package, and Jane felt blessed to have her in her life in any capacity.
"So… He had some kind of genetic deficiency?" Jane asked in mock seriousness.
Maura chuckled slightly before shaking her head at Jane. "Yes. Women like to call it 'thinking with the wrong head'."
"Maura!" Jane laughed.
"Sorry," she replied with another chuckle. "But it's true. Men rarely ever want anything more than one thing from me, and honestly it is getting a little frustrating."
"Well, you can hardly blame the guy," Jane responded absently as she searched for the remote control.
Maura looked at Jane with confusion. "What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, not with anger but with genuine confusion.
Jane turned to Maura and noticed the confusion, and a glimmer of hurt, in her eyes. "No, Maura, I just mean… Well, you're a beautiful woman so it's only feasible that a man would be attracted to you," Jane began as she sat back to focus again on the conversation, controller forgotten. "That is not to say that you don't have many other wonderful qualities. You're the full package Maura, and if Mr. Fancy Pants only wants the first layer, well… then he's going to miss out."
Maura looked at Jane with a smile, her hand instinctively moving over her heart. "Oh, Jane. You're very sweet."
"Don't tell anyone," Jane replied with a nudge to Maura's shoulder and a mock glare.
"I think they already know," Maura stage whispered with a wink.
"Who told?!" Jane exclaimed in mock horror before she smiled at Maura and took a sip of her beer.
"Why couldn't you be a man," Maura sighed as she sipped at her wine. "It would certainly make things easier."
"Exactly how does my being a woman make YOUR love life harder?" Jane asked, her eyebrows finding their way up into her hairline.
Maura smiled at Jane, realising how odd this conversation had become. "Ok, that came out wrong," she replied with a giggle. "I just mean that it's hard to find time for a relationship between work and family and social obligations… It would easier if…" Maura paused, knitting her eyebrows in confusion.
Jane looked at Maura, trying to figure her out. "It would be easier if you could have a relationship with someone who already takes up space in your life?" Jane asked.
"Yes, exactly," Maura replied, turning to face Jane more fully.
"You make time," Jane offered with a shrug. "Like you make time for me."
"You're family, Jane," Maura responded as she reached out to place her hand on Jane's shoulder. "And then there's the obstacle of finding a man that I am able to spend time with, and who makes time for me without just wanting one thing, but... who doesn't also make time to kill people," she finished, her voice littered with mock annoyance.
"Wow, you really are asking for a lot there," Jane couldn't help but laugh as she watched Maura continue on with her pity party.
"You know, Maura," Jane began as she placed her beer on the coffee table, "in this day and age, it is widely accepted for two women to share their lives together."
"I'm well aware of this fact, Jane," Maura responded before she placed her glass beside Jane's beer and sat back to look at Jane once again.
"So, technically speaking, I don't have to be a man," Jane offered with an exaggerated wink.
Maura let out a short laugh in response. "And if we were into women that would be the most obvious solution," Maura replied with a poke to Janes bicep.
They smiled at each other as they realised how absurd the conversation was.
"You would be the guy, remember?" Maura said as she started to laugh.
"Yes," Jane replied with disdain, "because apparently I'm bossy!"
"You are!" Maura insisted.
"Excuse me, but you are the bossy one," Jane exclaimed. "With your… 'Eat your greens, Jane. Don't drink so much coffee, Jane. Don't talk to your mother like that, Jane.' Come on!" Jane teased, causing Maura's face to morph into a look of mock horror.
"That's not bossy, that's called caring," Maura responded pointedly.
"Well, I'm not your type, so there's no point in having this conversation anyway," Jane responded with her hands flailing dramatically in the air as she got up from the couch to get another beer.
Maura continued to laugh as she watched Jane make her way to the fridge.
End Flashback: Sunday Dinner
That was the end of the conversation that night, but in the 24 hours that passed, it was a conversation that stayed in the forefront of both Jane and Maura's mind.
A/N: Thank you for reading. More to come soon. Feedback welcomed :-)