Jane was just finishing the last of her paperwork when it happened. The 3 cups of coffee she had had earlier were finally getting to her. She stood up suddenly, and rushed to the ladies' room. She never noticed her phone slip from her pocket. Unfortunately for her, Barry Frost did.
Finally, here's my chance! He thought to himself. There had been a series of office pranks going around, as it drew nearer and nearer to April 1. Barry and Jane had been the main two participators, both intent upon showing the other up, a kind of co-worker/sibling rivalry thing going on. And Frost had thought of the perfect way of getting Jane back for changing his screensaver to a photoshopped picture of that werewolf from Twilight and the internet Bieber kid, both shirtless, and having the Bieber kid's song "Baby" play every time he pressed a key.
Oh I'm gonna get her so good, I'm going to need a police escort to use the bathroom in my own home! Nevertheless, Frost figured it was worth it. Quickly, he rushed over to Jane's desk and swiped her phone. It was well known that Jane Rizzoli had a ringtone on her cell for just about everyone in her contacts. It was a good conversation piece for those in her contacts to sit around and joke about what song she might have for them. So, Frost thought it might provide a laugh or two if he were to change them up, and lock Jane's phone so she couldn't change them back without asking him first, and he would be sure to make her admit defeat before he promised anything. Just as he plugged it into his computer to hook it to the website for ringtones, Vince Korsak walked in from his coffee break.
"Whatcha got going here?" he asked, coming up beside Frost to peer over his shoulder.
"Possibly the world's greatest prank" he replied with a smirk, concentration evident on his face.
"Ooo, sounds potentially painful and embarrassing…can I help?" Not waiting for an answer, Korsak pulled up a chair, intrigued.
Barry didn't give one, but asked, "What do you think would be a good ringtone for Jane's mom?"
"Oh, have you met her? Nice woman but overbearing. Drives Jane crazy! Umm…OH! That creepy music you always hear the horror movies when the stupid girl is about to turn the corner and the bad guy's already standing there. I think they played it a lot in "Halloween", so search that.
"Yea," Frost says excitedly, "it's right here. Hey! And for Frankie, how about this one?" He tries to contain his laughter as the sound of a little boy with a childish lisp saying the words "Heya big sissy! Guess what? I WUUUV YOOOU!" filled the space around Frost's desk.
They sat around Frost's desk, quickly picking the most hilarious, yet strangely fitting ringtones for Jane's contacts.
"What have you got for Jane's neighbor?
"'Golden Girls' theme, you know, 'Thank you for bein' a friend'?"
"Ooo, that is good. Now what about the most important one?"
A wide grin spread across Frost's face. "Our dearest Dr. Death? Therein lies the world's greatest prank!"
"Well," Korsak pressed, "Spill it!"
"No way," Frost replied with a chuckle, "You'll just have to see when Maura calls her in about ten minutes. Though, I will say, maybe it'll show her what we all see about them that they are too ignorant to notice. Or, at least, that's what I'm hoping it will do." Mischief shone in the young detective's eyes. It was replaced by sudden concentration and urgency as he grabbed Jane's phone from where it lay on his desk.
"What are you doing?" Korsak inquired, looking over Frost's shoulder as he frantically scrolled through the phone's settings.
"There's a setting on here that has the phone speak the name of the person that's calling it, then play the ringtone. What good is changing her tones if no one knows who they're for?"
Korsak considered this lightly, losing interest and eager to go back to his desk. He had some Youtube videos with puppies in them with his name on them. "Yea, I guess you're right."
Frost chose the settings on Jane's phone and, with a flourish, pressed the appropriate buttons to lock the phone. "Aaaaand…done!" he said as he rockstar slid in his excitement over to Jane's desk to place the phone back on the floor where it fell
He shuffled back to his desk and had barely managed to strike up a cover conversation with a group of detectives who had meandered into the room during Frost's setup, when Jane sauntered back to her desk. A few more detectives and a couple uniforms wandered in as Frost watched out of the corner of his eye as Jane felt her pockets confusedly, and had a mini panic-induced search until she spotted her phone beneath her desk. She picked it up and set it next to her on her desk. It was almost immediately covered by one of the last three folders she had to go through. A couple minutes had passed and most of the detectives were leaving as the lunch breaks drew nearer.
Finally, as the only remaining people were Korsak, Jane, Frost, some of the others that worked on that floor, Frankie, and some of his uniformed buddies, it started.
Jane Rizzoli's phone lit up, unbeknownst to her, for it was still underneath a folder, and started vibrating. Then, a robotic voice called out, "MAURA ISLES." Jane looked up, confused, searching her desk for the source, then froze as she received the consequence for unknowingly leaving her phone unattended in the same room as her prank rival. Horrorstricken she sat there as her phone speakers on full volume blasted out the telltale, "DUMM, DUM, DUM-DUUUMMM! DUMM, DUM, DUM-DUUUUMMMMMM!" of the Wedding March. She could only sit there, dumbstruck as the entire song played and didn't move when the snickers from Frankie's group of friends reached her ears. She did register, however, when Frankie silenced them with a look. She didn't move until last few notes faded out and, a confused-looking Maura stepped out from around the corner, holding her phone to her ear.
"Jane?" was all she said, and that one word took Jane out of her trance.
Jane turned around and Maura saw the fear in her features before Jane sealed it behind her cop's mask and turned to the group of uniforms and detectives lingering by the door.
"Don't you have somewhere to be?" She said it quietly, but it was not lacking in authority and anger. Quickly and quietly, anyone who didn't work in that room or on that floor, and some who did, filed past Maura and onto the elevator or into the stairwell. After they were gone, Jane slowly turned to Maura. Everyone left in the room suddenly had very important work matters to attend to. Jane winced seeing Maura's puzzled expression.
"What happened to my Funeral March?"
Jane looked around uncomfortably until she laid eyes on Barry Frost who was casting the occasional guilty look her way. She immediately understood. With a fleck of humor and nervousness mixed in with her original anger, she replied, "It seems I've been pranked," she gave a nervous chuckle. "Heh. Good one, Frost!" she threw over her shoulder, "I'll have to remember that one!"
Maura pursed her lips. "You know, Jane, as much as you want to be, you are not very good at hiding your emotions from me. I detect that you are uncomfortable with what has occurred. Do you want to talk about what is bothering you?"
Damn, Jane thinks. Maura knows, she always knows. "Not here," is all she says, stealing herself. She takes Maura's hand and fights reacting to the shock it sends up her arm as she leads Maura to the elevator to the morgue. There's no point in hiding it. Now that the floodgates have been opened, it's only a matter of time until Maura sees past this stupid mask I've built for myself. It was only a matter of time until Maura found out Jane loves her more than she should probably love her straight best friend. Please don't run, was all Jane could think as the elevator doors closed.
Jane has known for a while that she loves Maura. From the moment Maura popped her nose back into place after she arrived at the crime scene with it broken. When Maura placed her hands on Jane's face, Jane felt something deep inside. Something she had never felt before, not growing up in the man's world she did, and certainly not for another woman. But after many sleepless nights she spent thinking of her feelings for Maura, and that time she woke up after spending the night with Maura to the smaller woman wrapped around her, she came to the conclusion that, yes, she was indeed in love with her best friend.
The elevator dinged and opened. Jane rushed out, eager to reach something that she could used to steady herself in preparation for the conversation ahead. She could not block out all the worst-case scenarios that came flitting at the last moment. Maura screaming at her, using the words "dyke" and "fag", but even worse, the words "I hate you."
Somewhere in the back of her mind, a little voice registered. You could lie, you know. You could pretend to be explaining the prank marathon that's been going on as if she doesn't know. You don't have to say a word and risk everything you have with her.
"Yes I do," she whispered to herself. It's all or nothing with her. It always has been, always will be.
"Yes you do what?" Again, confusion was apparent on the woman's face. She tilted her head to the side a little. That one moment caused Jane's heart and knees to melt and she need the table she was clutching in preparation for a little more than that.
"I have to tell you the real reason I brought you down here, not some stupid lie I may have thought up on the spot down here." Jane winced. It seemed that Maura has taken away Jane's ability to give smart-alecky responses, which were her favorite defense mechanism when she was uncomfortable.
"Well…?" Maura came to stand beside Jane. Not too close, not too far away, but there was enough room for Jane to make a choice if she wanted to be nearer or not. Jane chose the former.
"Maura, you know I'm no good with the whole 'feelings' thing, I mean, I'm not even sure what made me come down here, but…you deserve to know." Jane paused. She took a breath, looked at her friend -no, her world-, then looked down. "Maura, I…I lo-"
"Shh." Jane felt a soft finger on her lips. When she looked up, she was surprised to find Maura standing in front of her. Even more surprised that she was closer to her than the boundaries of a friendship, even theirs, which so many people already wrongly interpret as something more, allowed. "I know."
"But…but how?"
"I guessed" Jane was looking into Maura's eyes and was seeing something she had been dreaming about for quite some time. She barely registered Maura's words, but when they finally reached her ears, she chuckled.
"Wow! I got the great Dr. Death to guess? I need to start having emotional crisises more often!" She smiled.
"Well," Maura countered, "I hope this is the first and last one you will have of this nature."
The both laughed. Jane snaked her hands around the smaller woman's waist as Maura did the same.
"So…what do we do now?" Jane asked.
"Well, in my opinion, the most logical move for you would be to kiss me." Maura leaned in, expectantly.
"Well, if that is the Doctor's opinion, who am I to question that?" Jane leaned in.
Their lips met.
It was like fireworks. Different form anything Jane had ever experienced, but also…right.
Neither of them noticed the small argument going on right outside the door.
Frost was holding out his hand expectantly to Frankie. "Pay up!" he demanded.
Frankie sputtered. "Dude! I thought you were joking when you said $200!"
"Look, you shook hands on it, be a man of your word!" Frost was working hard to contain his laughter and stay quiet for fear of detection and the Wrath of Jane.
Frankie was red in the face from trying to do the same. "Okay, okay, listen. I know I promised you that I'd give you 200 bucks if you could get Maura and my sister together before the end of the First of April, and here's what I have to say to that." Frankie paused, steadied and repositioned himself. "APRIL FOOL'S!" he screeched and took off toward the elevator. He muttered a silent joking prayer when the doors opened on the first push of the button as Frost processed what he said and turned to chase him. Frankie pressed the close door button and stuck his tongue out at Frost before the doors closed. Frost frantically pushed the button, and just managed to get inside when the morgue doors opened to reveal the happy couple on the way to continue to explore the new territory, opened since the recent tearing down of the old, hardly existing boundaries. And both Jane and Maura were certain that they weren't going to wake up tomorrow with a muttered April Fool's and a quick "Goodbye! Never gonna see ya again!" No, Jane thought, this girl is mine forever!
