A/N: Could be a one-shot or I could continue with each year depending on what you all think.
February 14, 1981
Jane Rizzoli had been sitting on the carpet in her preschool classroom for what felt like hours. She looked at the clock, but her inability to tell time prevented her from knowing if lunch and recess were approaching. Since the clock wasn't working to her advantage, Jane tried to recollect the usual routine of her schooldays as an indicator of whether or not it was almost time for lunch. Story time is always before lunch, Jane remembered. When the story is over, then it's time to eat and then play with Maura. Playing with Maura was always the highlight of Jane's day. Maura's favorite game was hopscotch and, although Jane didn't enjoy it as much as Maura did, she was willing to play just about anything if it meant spending time with Maura.
The children in Jane's preschool class were all seated patiently in their designated squares except for Jane. There were two squares sectioned off by masking tape and two children seated in those squares between her and Maura. A boy named Joey and a girl named Mallory were separating Jane from her Maura, but once the story was over Jane knew there was absolutely nobody that could stop her from holding Maura's hand. This story is too long, Jane thought as she fidgeted in her square. To amuse herself, Jane made a silly face at Maura but Maura was too engaged in the story about a little boy and his puppy to notice what Jane was doing. After Jane noticed the red hand on the clock go around once, she made yet another attempt at getting Maura's attention. Jane stuck her tongue out and crossed her eyes and, just as she had hoped, Maura finally noticed her. Maura held her hand over her mouth to try to stifle her giggles, but it was to no avail. Their entire class and their teacher were now looking at Jane and Maura.
"I'm sorry," Maura said sheepishly, but Jane had no intentions of apologizing. She was grateful for the distraction because, soon after, their teacher finally announced it was lunchtime.
Jane ran over to the cubbies and handed Maura her lunchbox before grabbing her own. She knew there'd be a peanut butter and fluff sandwich waiting for her and, as much as she loved peanut butter and fluff, she was feeling too nervous to eat or play. It was Jane's first Valentine's Day being what she considered a "big girl" and she was going to ask Maura to be her valentine.
Jane and Maura had met each other on the first day of preschool, but their first encounter was far from ideal. It was a rainy day, so the children had recess inside instead of going outdoors. Jane was involved in a rather intense role playing game in which she and some of the boys pretended to be dinosaurs when she looked over and saw a girl playing with blocks by herself.
"Why is she alone?" Jane asked her new friends.
"Because no one likes her," one of the boys responded.
"I'm going to ask her to play with us," Jane insisted, but she was stopped by another one of her new friends.
"If you ask her, you can't play with us," he informed her.
"I don't wanna play with meanies like you," Jane retorted.
She didn't know if this girl would even want to play with her or why no one liked her, but Jane found herself willing to risk everything just for the opportunity to talk to her. The girl was looking intently at the letters on the blocks and arranging them in order from A to Z. Jane had never seen another kid do something like that for fun, so she wondered if that was why none of the kids liked her. As Jane was about to introduce herself, one of the girls approached her and knocked over some of Maura's blocks.
"Maura the Bore-A," she chanted. Maura looked as if she was about to cry, so Jane decided to step in.
"Don't call her that," Jane demanded. "Or I'm going to tell everyone you pick your nose."
When Maura's bully had a look of sheer terror on her face, Jane knew that girl would never bother Maura again. Jane didn't quite understand why, but sticking up for Maura made her happy and the smile on Maura's face added to the happiness she was already feeling.
"Do you want to play with me?" Maura asked. Jane would have rather pretended to be a dinosaur with the boys than spell things with blocks, but she remembered what the boys had said about her not being able to play with them anymore if she talked to Maura.
"Okay," Jane shrugged. "Wanna make a tower?"
"No," Maura shook her head. "Is your name Jane?" Before Jane could even respond, Maura began rearranging four of her blocks until she properly spelled 'Jane.'
"That was fast," Jane said in amazement. "Lemme spell your name." Jane grabbed four blocks and arranged them to spell 'Mora.'
"That's not how you spell it," Maura pointed out. "It's M-A-U-R-A."
"Oh," Jane blushed. She had wanted to impress this girl, but she was now worried that her inability to spell Maura's name was a disadvantage.
"Don't be sad," Maura said as she smiled at Jane. "My name is hard to spell. It's okay if you don't get it right the first time."
From that moment on, Jane and Maura played together every opportunity they were given. The two little girls were opposites in every way, but their friendship worked for them. Maura would teach Jane how to spell new words and tell her facts about her favorite dinosaurs and animals. In return, Jane taught Maura how to swing on the swings and how to ride a tricycle. During the car ride home from her first day of school, Angela asked her daughter about what she learned and Jane spoke briefly about learning to spell her name before going off on a tangent about her new best friend, a girl named Maura.
The sun was shining and the temperature had risen, so Jane, Maura, and their preschool classmates were able to play outside after they had eaten lunch. As she did every time they walked to the playground, Maura held Jane's hand and smiled at her, but this time Jane didn't smile in return. Her mind was on the piece of paper she had folded and tucked away in the back pocket of her grass-stained jeans. It was a homemade Valentine for Maura and little Jane was waiting for the right time to give it to her.
"Do you like my shoes?" Maura asked as she pointed to the new pair of white Mary Jane shoes with a light pink bow on the buckle that matched the color of her dress. "I think the bows are pretty." Jane had never paid attention to shoes—including her own—but seeing Maura's new shoes and the excitement she had for them made her smile.
"I think you're pretty," Jane confessed. "I think you're more pretty than the bows." The palm of her little hand that was holding Maura's had started to sweat. "I have something for you."
"What is it?" Maura asked.
Jane let go of Maura's hand and fumbled with the piece of paper in her pocket before handing it over to a very curious little Maura. "Happy Valentine's Day," Jane said as Maura unfolded the paper and looked at the drawing. "I drew a heart and a turtle because you like turtles."
"Tortoise," Maura corrected her, but it was merely force of habit. She paid little attention to Jane's mistake as she looked at the drawing.
Jane fidgeted before gathering the nerve to hold Maura's hand again. "Will you be my Valentine?"
Jane's question had caught her off guard, but it was exactly what Maura had been hoping Jane would ask her since the start of the school day. "Yes," she responded.
"Yes?" Jane asked just to be certain.
"Yes!" Maura beamed.
Maura Isles was officially her Valentine and, although Jane wasn't quite sure what that meant, she hoped it entitled her to do something she had wanted to do since recess began. When she was realized that no one was looking, Jane leaned in and kissed Maura on the cheek.
"I wanted to kiss you first," Maura giggled and the moment Jane turned around Maura surprised her with her very first kiss on the cheek.
Jane and Maura spent the rest of their time outside playing hopscotch, but for Jane it was different from every other time they played. This time she was playing the game as Maura's Valentine and she hoped it would be only the first of many Valentine's Days she would spend with Maura.