Table For Two

She's not getting flowers from anyone this year, but that suits her just fine.

Jane doesn't dislike Valentine's Day. It's just not her type of holiday. What she really doesn't like about this day is how the workplace comes to a screeching halt every time a damn delivery guy shows up with flowers.

Even the medical examiner isn't immune to the effect of the floral brigade that has been going on all day. Jane watches as Maura's gaze once again flows to the latest delivery of bright red roses down the hall. A small sigh escapes her lips as she watches them disappear into the elevator.

"Expecting a special delivery today?" Jane questions.

The doctor shakes her head, but her eyes return to the hallway as another delivery arrives.

"I saw you talking to Steward earlier in the café. I thought you might have plans with him tonight." Greg Steward is tall, dark and rich. He's the top defense attorney in town. A perfect match for Maura, really. Jane can tell he's been working up the nerve to ask her out on a date.

A hint of a blush creeps up Maura's neck. She reaches into the pocket of the short black blazer that she wears over her navy dress and retrieves the business card. She smiles and flashes the personal number scrawled on the back.

Jane grins. She's always secretly wondered why Maura wears those jackets over her dresses. She probably needs a place to keep all the phone numbers she gets handed on a daily basis, the detective reasons. "I'm guessing that probably wasn't your only offer for tonight."

Maura discretely slips the paper back into her pocket as Frost and Korsak slide into the chairs next to them at the café. She shakes her head, "No, it wasn't. But Valentine's Day dates are something…," she searches for the right word, "…intimate. It should be shared with someone special, not someone you just met."

Jane shrugs, "What about you guys?"

Frost perks up, "Frankie and I are heading out tonight to look for lonely singles in a 10 block radius of the station." At Jane's glare he adds, "…you know…to search for someone special…to create a bond."

"Just don't let Frankie form any 'bonds' tonight, alright?" she warns. A small laugh escapes Maura. She loves when Jane turns into the over-protective sister.

She turns her attention to Korsak, "What about you, Vince? Any plans tonight?"

He shifts uncomfortably in his chair as he fiddles with his tie, "Um…yeah. I'm going out to dinner."

Maura's curiosity piques, "Oh, good for you. Who is the lucky woman?"

Korsak straightens and prepares for the backlash. It's apparent that Angela hasn't had a chance to talk to Jane yet.

"I'm taking Angela out to dinner." Jane's jaw drops, as do Frost's and Maura's.

"Before you all go jumping to conclusions, we're just going out as friends." He waits to make sure Jane isn't going to pass out or throw a punch before he continues, "Your mother is a wonderful lady, and she's gone through a lot this last year. I've been divorced 3 times, so I know how hard that first Valentine's Day alone can be. I just thought she deserved someone to take her out to dinner. To show her she's not alone and that she has a lot of people around her that care about her."

Jane's not mad or upset. If anything, she feels completely guilty that she didn't think to do something for her own mother this year. She puts a hand over his on the table and leans in towards him, "Thanks, Korsak. You're right. She does deserve a nice night out." She leans back into her chair, "Just please, for the love of god, don't let her have more than 2 glasses of wine. Rizzoli women get loose lips after 2 glasses."

"So, Jane," Frost interjects, "Hot date for you tonight?"

"Ah, I swore off Valentine's dates a couple of years ago." She slumps back into her chair as her eyes land on the water glass in front of her.

Frost picks up on this, "Sounds like there is a story to be told there."

"Oh, there's a story…but I'm not sharing," she deflects.

Luckily, another flower delivery serves as a diversion from the conversation as everyone's gaze follows the vase full of bursting color. She watches as Maura's eyes widen with excitement for the unknown recipient once again. A small frown appears on the doctor's mouth when the flowers disappear from sight.

Jane hates to see Maura disappointed. Maybe the attorney will call her later, she muses. Maura's voice snaps her out of her reverie.

"Jane, if you don't have any plans tonight, why don't we grab some dinner? I just received a message that Alejandro's has an early opening." That small frown appears on her face again, "It would be a waste not to take the table."

Jane sighs. Of course Maura would want to dine at a fancy restaurant. She's about to decline when Frost nudges her with his knee under the table. They both know Maura has had a tough year with the whole Dennis fiasco. This is Jane's chance to do something nice for Maura. If Korsak can spend his Valentine's with her mother, the least she can do is spend hers with her best friend.

"Um…okay. But do we have to go there? Isn't that place a little…," she tries to think of a word to get her point across that without sounding rude. "…upscale…for two women to have dinner at tonight? It is Valentine's Day." She stresses, hoping she will take the hint.

Maura brushes off her skepticism, "Nonsense, you can go dressed just like you are."

Jane groans. She doesn't want to say it out loud, but she sees no way around it. "Don't you think they will be filled with couples trying to have a romantic dinner tonight? Maybe we should find somewhere else to go."

Maura looks deflated at Jane's reluctance. "Are you afraid people will think we're a couple?"

Jane winces and rubs at her brow, "No…not really. But you have to admit…that's going to look kind of gay." She turns and lowers her voice to Frost, "No offense to your mother." He nods and tries to hide his grin. He loves it when the doctor makes Jane uncomfortable.

She waves off Jane's unwillingness, "Who cares how it looks? They've got the best wine list in the city." She gets up to leave, "We'll go right after work." She can hardly contain her excitement as she turns to leave, "You're in for a real treat tonight, Detective."

Jane marvels at the ease at which Maura peruses the wine list and orders in a foreign language Jane can only guess is French. She's completely out of her element in this restaurant, so she lets the doctor take charge and order the entrees for both of them. She has to admit, the restaurant is amazing.

The waiter pours a sample in the wine glass for Jane to taste, as if she really would know the difference between good wine and bad. She slides it over to Maura. "It's your special night, why don't you give it the test run?" She gives the doctor a wink.

Maura gladly takes the stemware and inhales the wine's aroma deeply. Jane watches as she takes a sip, her eyes closing briefly as she lets the liquid linger in her mouth for a moment before swallowing. Jane detects a slight moan from across the table as Maura gets lost in the wine, totally oblivious to her surroundings. Jane ducks her chin and scans the nearby tables to make sure no one else heard the doctor.

Maura opens her eyes and smiles broadly to the waiter, "Perfect." He fills both glasses. "I think you'll really enjoy this, Jane."

"Jesus," Jane shifts in her chair slightly as the waiter walks away. "If I enjoy it anymore than you, we'll probably get kicked out of here." She chuckles as they clink glasses in a toast. She takes a small sip and lets it roll around in her mouth before she swallows.

"Fuck, that is good." She takes another sip and savors the flavors. "It's as close to orgasmic as I've gotten in awhile." She chortles as Maura grins, happy that she's found something other than beer for Jane to enjoy tonight.

Dinner is nothing short of fantastic. The food…the laughter…the conversation…it all comes so easily for them. Jane wishes she could have dates that went this well. The violin player saunters over to them for the second time that evening and proceeds to play a beautiful piece that Jane can only surmise is a love song. A blush creeps up her neck as she notices a couple of tables looking in their direction.

Maura leans in to whisper, "Okay, even I'll admit that this is kind of gay." They both smile as the violinist moves on to serenade another couple.

Maura orders a second bottle of wine. Jane's having too good of a time to stop her. It is a holiday, after all.

A silver-haired couple brushes by their table and they stop when he recognizes Maura. He's a doctor that she has consulted with in the past. She introduces Jane to them and they exchange professional pleasantries. Jane looks on as the couple leaves and they take their seats back at their table. It dawns on Jane how Maura introduced her.

"Maur, you didn't introduce me as Detective Rizzoli like you normally do. You just said my name." Maura shrugs, unsure why Jane is having a problem with that. She juts a thumb over in the couples direction. "They totally think we're…you know…together."

Maura tosses her hair behind her shoulder and raises her glass to take another drink. "Is that a little too gay for you, Jane?" she teases.

Jane stutters, unsure of how to answer. "You know I don't have a problem with gay people, it's just…we're straight. Why wouldn't you make that clear to them?"

Maura leans closer and puts her hand over Jane's on the table, "You should know by now that I don't give a damn what people think about me."

Jane nods and takes another healthy drink of the wine.

"So, what's your Valentine's disaster story?" Maura asks.

She winces, "It was awful." Apparently Jane Rizzoli gets loose lips after 2 glasses of wine, too. "It was a classic case of going through the holidays unattached. Both Tommy and Frankie had girlfriends at the time. A fact my mother pointed out at least 5 times between Thanskgiving and Christmas." She takes a breath before continuing, "So I met a guy at a…," she cringes as she says it, "…bar on New Year's Eve." Maura politely covers her mouth to hide her smile.

"I ignored his calls for a couple of weeks, but then we went for two, maybe three dates. Then all of sudden it was February 14th. We went out. We went back to my place. Things moved to the bedroom...," Maura's elbows were on the table, her chin on her hand waiting for Jane to continue.

"And then?" Maura prods.

"And then when he was, you know…" Jane pauses briefly for a sip of water.

"Inside you?" Maura interjects before Jane can continue with her story.

Jane's eyes shoot wide open, "Jesus, Maur." She looks around to make sure no one at the adjacent tables is listening. "Yes," she hisses. "When someone says 'you know', they mean they don't want to say the words out loud."

Maura shrugs, "Sorry."

She takes a breath, "Anyway, I knew that there wasn't any spark. I was trying to force something that wasn't going to happen. So I ended it and vowed not to date until after February 14th each year."

Maura nods in understanding as she finishes off the last of her wine.

The waiter comes by and places the bill in front of Jane. It's one thing to be mistaken for a couple all the time, that's not unusual for them, but Jane gets tired of waiters always thinking she should take care of the damned bill just because she is wearing the pants. She flips open the folio and takes a peak.

"Holy Shit!" Jane almost chokes as she eyeballs the total of the ticket. "Did you know how much that wine cost?"

Maura grabs the bill from her and slips her credit card into the leather folio. "Of course I did. The 2005 Bordeaux was divine though, don't you think?"

Jane points to the bill, still in shock at the extra digit on the total. "Yeah, but you shouldn't have ordered that second bottle." She rubs at her chin. "Fuck," she mutters under her breath.

"You seemed to be enjoying it." Maura's eyes sparkle as she looks at the detective, "It is our special night, after all." She winks at Jane. Maura loves treating Jane to exceptional things.

Jane snorts, "Yeah, well…I kinda feel like I need to put out after seeing what this cost you," she gestures to the bill.

A deep, throaty chuckle escapes from the doctor as she slips on her jacket. "You're worth more than that, Jane."

Maura talks Jane into sharing a cab ride home. When the cab pulls into her drive she realizes that she is short on cash in her wallet, so she asks the driver to wait for her for a moment so she can get some money from the house. She pulls Jane with her into the house so she can take the fare back out to the cab.

Jane totally forgot about the errand she ran earlier in the afternoon until she hears the gasp from Maura as she walks into the kitchen. Jane freezes halfway across the room. She never expected to be there when she got them.

Maura tears open the small envelope and Jane watches as her lips silently move as she reads the tiny card. She leans down to inhale the scent of the small bouquet. Her fingers move to her chest, touched that Jane had thought to buy her flowers.

"There are only 4, because we've known each other for that many years." Jane feels slightly awkward. The gesture seems so inconsequential now considering how much the doctor just dropped on dinner.

Maura walks back toward Jane, a sultry look on her features. "They're beautiful. Thank you, Jane." She watches as the doctor runs her finger over the words on the card before slipping it into her blazer pocket.

Maura's hips seem to sway a little more than usual, and Jane's not sure if that's due to the wine or if the doctor is trying to seduce her. She feels the need to lighten the mood, "I would have gotten you chocolate too, but that just seemed a little too gay."

They walk to the door and Maura hands the cash for the cab to Jane.

Jane drags the toe of her boot across the hardwood floor. "I'm sure tonight wasn't your ideal Valentine's night. It was probably lacking in a lot of areas, but I hope you still had a good time."

Maura moves closer and Jane can feel the heat of her words as she speaks. "It was really only missing one thing."

She leans in, closing the remaining distance in one painstakingly slow movement. Her dark eyes convey her intention, and when Jane doesn't move to stop her, she presses her warm lips into Jane's. The kiss is soft, yet firm.

Definitely not platonic.

She pulls back and studies the detective's reaction. "Is that too gay for you?"

Jane pauses and contemplates her next move.

"No." She reaches up and rubs her thumb along Maura's jaw. She moves in swiftly to capture the doctor's lips in a passionate kiss and doesn't stop until Maura whimpers into her mouth.

"Not quite gay enough."

The End