This was written for my Season 2 Countdown Challenge, the prompt was "Aliens". This was going to be a silly piece and then it evolved into something more serious. It's still kind of silly. I don't know. On a side note, I have an irrational fear of aliens.
"I thought that you wanted to watch something different, Jane? What's wrong with this film? It's not a documentary, and-"
"I just think it's a stupid movie. The special effects are dumb." Jane scoffed, munching on some popcorn before glancing at Maura out of the corner of her eye. She surely had to believe that Jane just found this film to be idiotic.
"Jane, I don't see why you are so adamant about watching a different film. We watched the one about the zombies last week, and you laughed at the horrible special effects." Maura's brow furrowed as she took in Jane's body language, arms crossed and pressed firmly against her chest.
"I just think alien movies are stupid, okay?" Jane clenched her jaw, and Maura could have sworn that she flinched a bit when she said the word 'alien'.
A grin spread across Maura's face as she put the pieces together, Jane's demeanor, her facial musculature, her posture.
"Jane Rizzoli, are you afraid of aliens?" Maura teased, poking Jane gently in the ribs.
"Of course not! Why the hell would I be afraid of some stupid….no! I'm not afraid of those things." Jane grumbled, kicking her shoes off and plopping her feet onto the coffee table.
Maura refrained from scolding Jane on the placement of her feet and instead faced her, a sympathetic look in her eyes.
"Jane, remember what you told me about your family, and your trip to Salem? The witches….?" Maura reminded Jane of her confession, and the detective slouched slightly more on the couch.
"Yeah. So?"
"Well, why would you not want to tell me about an irrational fear of aliens, if you were willing to tell me about the witches?" Maura cocked her head, attempting to understand Jane's reluctance.
"It is not an irrational fear, Maura! Those things…they could…I don't know, I just don't want to have to think about them, being out there, and…" Jane grumbled, dropping her face into her hands.
"I used to have nightmares about being abducted by aliens, okay?" Jane mumbled into her palms, defeated. She knew that Maura would continue to press her about it, anyway, Maura's curiosity was insatiable.
"Oh, Jane…you know, immersion therapy…" Maura began, opening the DVD box gently and removing the DVD.
"No, Maura, immersion therapy doesn't work for me. Come on, can't we just watch something else? We can even watch one of your documentaries. Please?" Jane was nearly whining, and Maura couldn't help but smirk as the detective's usual demeanor was changed due to a silly film about extra terrestrials. She understood the anxiety that accompanied phobias, however, and she did not want to be responsible for causing Jane any discomfort. Their movie and sleepover nights were meant to be relaxing, not worsening Jane's already fragile sleep cycle. She had barely begun to sleep through the night without having nightmares, and Maura could have sworn that she was more rested when they spent the night together. That could easily be attributed to the fact that the company of another human being sometimes gave one a feeling of comfort, and might not have anything to do with Maura herself-
"Hey, hello? Earth to Maura? Oh God, don't tell me they zapped into your head!" Jane nudged the Me, breaking her mental processing.
"Oh, I'm sorry Jane, I was just- what was I saying?" Maura shook her head as though she were clearing her thoughts - something that she had picked up from Jane, surely, as she knew that physically shaking one's head hardly did anything to…she was getting off track again.
"Right, I was going to suggest that we watch something else. I wouldn't want for you to have any more nightmares, Jane. You've been sleeping so well lately." Maura quickly replaced the DVD in its box before rummaging through the entertainment center and finding a random movie about a clown fish lost at sea. It seemed innocent enough, and Maura dropped it into the DVD player.
"Finding Nemo, Maura? Really?" Jane cocked an eyebrow at the caramel blonde before chuckling and shrugging her shoulders. Beggars couldn't be choosers, and at this point, she was just glad to watch something that didn't involve any creatures outside of their planet.
"Never mind, that's perfect. Come on, the popcorn's going to get cold." Jane patted the seat beside her, snuggling up to Maura as she settled in.
"Thanks, Maura. I know that I can be obnoxious sometimes, and between snakes, witches, and…well, for a cop that can shoot herself in the gut, I'm afraid of some stupid crap." Jane laughed uneasily, still unsure if she could really address the infamous event jokingly.
"I understand, Jane, there's no need to worry about being fearless around me. We all have our fears, I know that very well." Maura smiled warmly at Jane, before darting her eyes back to the film quickly.
"Maur? Is there anything that you're afraid of? Besides people, anyway?" Jane chuckled playfully, attempting to keep the banter light, but she had sparked a thought in Maura that she didn't want to have.
Of course, there were many things that she feared. And Jane's joking reference to that devastating day had only pushed one of her greatest fears to the surface.
"Yes, Jane. I'd rather not discuss them right now, if that's okay with you? I'd just like to…the film…" Maura gulped, fighting the sudden lump that found its way in her throat, and attempting to blink away the tears in her eyes.
"Yeah, sure, we don't have to talk about anything you're not okay with, I was just asking, you know?" Jane patted Maura's arm soothingly, trying not to acknowledge the reaction that Maura was obviously trying to hide.
"Let's just watch this fish movie, okay? We can talk about other stuff later." The detective wrapped an arm around Maura, rubbing her arm as the film began.
They could address the events of that day another time, when they were not so afraid of the underlying implications of their fears. For now, they would cuddle up on the couch with a film about a lost young fish.