3. Practice, Pictures and Pajamas

For the second time that night, Jane held Maura's hand in the air, bottle cap perfectly positioned atop Maura's slender fingers. Jane expertly positioned Maura's thumb and manipulated her wrist slightly to achieve the perfect "flick", but then shook her head.

"No Maura, like this!" Jane pulled her hand away and demonstrated again. This time, Jane set the bottle cap up on her fingers right next to Maura's so she could replicate visually. Certain she and Jane were now aligned, Maura wriggled forward and assumed the position. Jane flicked in demonstration; catching Casey in the Adam"s apple. Maura, who had studied Jane's motions intently, sized up the photo for a second, closed one eye, and "flick!" Maura hit Casey square in the forehead.

Clapping and jumping up and down a little in her seated position, Maura could not hide her pride or her excitement. She was clearly delighted with her accomplishment.

"Yay, Maura!" Jane declared. "Way to go!" She smiled at Maura, pumping her fist with enthusiasm. The pleased beam she got back lifted Jane's heart, and it sang with bursting platitudes. Seeing Maura like this, Jane felt infectiously happy. Pure emotional satisfaction. Her friend was happy. Her friend was proud. Her friend was beautiful. Whoa Rizzoli, one step at a time here...and maybe hold back on that comment about dexterous fingers…

"Wow Maura, you are a genius! Wanna know how many tries it took me to hit that son-of-a-bitch between the eyes?"

Maura looked around Jane's living room counting bottle caps. 3-4-7. And Jane still had one in her hand. Maura could only imagine.

"And you hit him in the forehead on your first try!" Jane was beaming. She reached out, patted Maura's knee, then squeezed gently to make her point. "Genius!"

Maura was busy calculating. 8, less 3. Jane was on her 5th beer, and showing no pain.

As if in agreement, Jane landed her empty bottle heavily on the coffee table. Somewhere amidst the chaos of take-out curry dishes, plates, cutlery and, well, more empty beer bottles, Maura calculated that safety, water, order and discretion were the new rules of engagement. But Jane seemed to buzz with enthusiasm, she seemed genuinely happy. Maura understood that she needed to balance that too. And she would. Jane had gone all out for her tonight. She wasn't really aware of the drinking disparity until now. She needed to think.

"Jane, I need to use the bathroom. Maybe you want to tidy up a little and we can watch a movie?" She said it sweetly; it usually worked with Jane.

"You sure, Maur? Don't you want to tack up that little picture of you and Jack from the photo booth at the mall, and see if you can get him in the forehead!" Jane laughed, but Maura sensed an underlying layer of serious motive. Revenge! It wasn't exactly violent, but it was bizarre. Maura made a mental note. Wait! Maura combed her very fastidious brain for a memory, any memory, of having shown Jane that photo. She, Jack and Abby had taken those photos very recently. Coming up with nothing, Maura felt unsettled. Not angry exactly, but a little disturbed. How had Jane seen that picture? Yes, caution was definitely in order.

R&IR&IR&I

When Maura rejoined Jane in the living room, her friend had changed into sweats and a t-shirt, made a hasty attempt at clean up, and was pouring wine into 2 glasses. Hearing Maura re-enter the room, she pointed with the wine decanter to a bundle of clothes and a fresh fluffy towel on the couch.

"I assume you're sleeping here tonight Maura…we've both had too much to drink for either of us to drive." Hmnnn. While true enough, she wondered if Jane realized she had outpaced Maura by quite a bit. "Might as well have a nightcap, right?" Jane smiled that full, radiant, beautiful smile that made Maura melt inside. How could she say no? She would simply monitor the situation and cut it off if it became troublesome; if Jane became troublesome. Right now though, her best friend looked the polar opposite of troublesome. She looked angelic. So loving, and so graceful, despite 5 beers, and even in her questionable loungewear. Maura felt a lump form in her throat. Only Jane could make her feel this emotional. Snap out of it sister; your friend sees all and she will jump all over this. And she will blame it on Jack. And, well, poor Jack! He certainly does not deserve the wrath of Jane Rizzoli at her fiercest and most protective. Maura entertained a visual, and nearly chuckled.

"The flowy, glowy stuff Jane?! I thought that was all hearts and flowers and declarations of love and devotion and let's get naked and make out?!" Maura teased her friend because she could, maybe Jane would have a comeback, maybe not. But this? This is what they did.

"Maura!" Jane fake chastised. "I would never take advantage of my friend in such a weak and compromised state…" She wiggled her eyebrows, and with a smirk walked toward Maura with a glass of red outstretched. "Would you believe it…" Jane husked, "if I told you…" her voice lowering to a whisper as she continued moving closer to Maura until they were breathing the same air, then leaning in so her lips were almost touching the shell of Maura's ear, "that we are out of beer?"

Maura shuddered at the breathy sensation of Jane's whispered words in her ear, and then stood stock still, paralyzed with both recognition and fear. Jane Rizzoli was right here, in her space, and it was doing things to her.

Again.