Chapter 3: Morse Code

Now (Jane)

"Alright, time for question number two!" Frost said. "We asked, 'What did your partner get you for your first Christmas together?' Remember, you are trying to guess how your partner answered this question."

Jane smiled to herself. This is an easy one, she thought as she quickly started scribbling on her posterboard.

Seven and a half years ago (Maura)

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

Maura hurried over to her door and quickly looked through the peep hole (because Jane would somehow know if she didn't). Seeing her best friend on the stoop, she flung the door open. She knew the smile on her face was embarrassingly large, but she didn't care.

Jane was standing on her porch, bouncing slightly on her toes to stay warm in the cold Boston evening. Her cheeks were rosy, and her dark eyes twinkled in the low light. It was still early in the evening, but it got dark early in December on the east coast.

"Merry Christmas, Jane!" Maura said, smiling at her friend.

"Merry Christmas, Maur," Jane replied. "Uh, are you gonna let me in?" she teased, clearly noticing Maura's distraction and happiness.

Maura laughed and stepped aside to let Jane in.

"How was dinner with your folks?" Jane asked as she peeled off her layers.

Maura's smile faltered. "Oh, um, they had to change their plans," she said quietly. Then, trying to direct the conversation away from herself, she asked, "How was it at your parents?"

"Crazy," Jane said with a laugh. "Seriously, if there are no trips to the ER before the end of the night, I'll be shocked."

Maura's eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Is your family still together?" she asked. "I thought your celebration was over for the evening. I didn't want to take you away from…"

But Jane shook her head and cut Maura off, "No, I mean yes, but…agh. What I meant to say was yes, there are still people at my parents' house, but no, you didn't take me away from anything. I wanted to be able to see you. Our family holidays never end, so it's no big deal. You had dinner with your parents tonight and your family thing tomorrow, so this was the only time we could get together on Christmas Eve or Christmas."

Maura nodded as she led Jane into the kitchen and poured her a glass of wine from the bottle she had open to breathe on the counter.

"But wait, your parents canceled?" Jane asked. Clearly, Jane wasn't going to let Maura get away with avoiding the topic.

"It's not a big deal," Maura said. "Their plans changed."

"I don't understand," Jane said. "It's Christmas Eve. Are they okay? Did something happen?"

Maura pressed to lips together in a tight line. She wasn't sure what to say. Her family was so different from Jane's, and while Jane knew that Maura wasn't close with her parents, Jane didn't really know the extent of their distance. Maura sighed. "My parents…" she paused. "My parents live very busy lives. Sometimes, they have to attend to…"

"Maura," Jane interrupted. "You're their daughter. What could possibly be more important than spending Christmas with you."

Maura looked away from Jane and busied herself with putting away the wine opener. "I rarely spend holidays with my parents," Maura explained quietly, hoping that Jane couldn't hear the sadness in her voice. "I was actually very surprised when they were going to be in town this year. I don't think I've seen them on Christmas Eve or Christmas day since I was in college, and I travelled to their home in France.

"Tomorrow's gathering was primarily with their family friends, and they just invited me as an afterthought. They decided they didn't feel like flying to the United States for the holidays, so they cancelled their trip," Maura explained. "Honestly, I wasn't surprised."

"So, you stayed home alone tonight?" Jane asked sadly.

"I don't mind spending the holidays alone," Maura said. "I usually do. It's…it's nice to relax."

"Maura…" Jane said softly. "Why didn't you say anything? You could have come to my parents…actually, you're coming tomorrow."

"No, Jane, I can't impose on your family Christmas," Maura said quickly. "I don't need your pity. I'm fine."

Jane scoffed. "I know you don't need my pity," she replied. "But you're still coming. Come on, Maur. It'll be fun."

"It's too last minute," Maura tried again. "Your parents won't be prepared…"

Jane laughed. "Maura, if you're afraid there won't be enough food or something, you're in for a surprise tomorrow. Our family events are basically moderately organized chaos. There will be enough food to feed a village. Please come!" Jane pleaded, offering Maura her best pout.

Maura considered Jane's offer. She had been raised not to impose, and attending someone else's family Christmas felt like a major imposition. On the other hand, this was Jane. Their friendship might be relatively new, but somehow, in just a few months, Maura felt closer to Jane than she had ever felt to anyone else. Also, the idea of not spending Christmas alone for the first time in years…and getting to spend it with Jane…that was hard to pass up.

"Are you sure?" Maura asked. "I really don't want to impose. Are you sure it will be okay with your parents?"

"Yes!" Jane squealed as she launched herself on Maura, pulling her into a massive hug. "You'll love it," she said. Then, feigning seriousness, she added, "But you have to promise to still be my friend after tomorrow."

"What? Why wouldn't I want to be your friend?" Maura asked, genuinely confused.

Jane laughed. "Oh, just wait and see," she teased. "I have a feeling you've never experienced anything like a Rizzoli family event."

Maura laughed, thinking Jane was teasing. She was not…as Maura discovered the next day. Still, it was easily the best Christmas of Maura's life until that point.

"Alright, well, you promised me Christmas movies," Jane said, changing the subject.

"And snacks, if I remember correctly," Maura added.

"Duh! That's a given, especially if we're watching Christmas movies."

"Well, I have cheese and crackers to go with our wine for the first movie…my choice," Maura explained. "Then, for your movie, I have hot chocolate, popcorn, and Christmas cookies."

"Perfect!" Jane said, bouncing slightly on her toes in her excitement. "And let's do presents in between the two movies."

"I like that plan," Maura said as she pulled the charcuterie board she had made earlier from the fridge.

"Jesus, Maur," Jane said as she plucked a piece of cheese from the platter. "That's fancy. You expecting someone else tonight?" she teased.

Maura laughed. "Just you, but I wanted to make it special," she admitted, blushing slightly.

"Thank you," Jane said in one of those rare instances where she skipped the sarcasm or joking tone, realizing the deeper implications of Maura's comment.

They sat down on the couch to watch Maura's chosen Christmas movie, White Christmas. They started out in their usual spots on the couch, but under the guise of reaching for more snacks, they had moved closer to each other throughout the movie. By the end, Maura was leaning against Jane, their shoulders pressed together, and her feet tucked under her body as they shared a blanket.

When the movie ended, Jane stretched and yawned. "Present time!" she said happily, causing Maura to laugh at her childlike enthusiasm. Maura pushed herself off the couch and found Jane's gift under the tree. She hoped that Jane hadn't noticed how few presents Maura actually had under the tree, but Jane didn't say anything.

"Open yours first," Maura said, handing Jane the large box.

"It's heavy," Jane said as she took the box from Maura.

Maura just laughed. Jane tore off the paper faster than Maura had ever seen anyone open a gift, especially an adult.

Maura chewed on her bottom lip as she watched Jane look at what was in the box. It was a Le Creuset Dutch Oven from the Boston Red Sox signature series. The Dutch Oven was Red Sox red and had the Boston 'B' inscribed on the lid.

"Thanks, Maur," Jane said genuinely, and Maura could tell that Jane appreciated the gift, even if it didn't excite her. This was exactly what Maura was hoping for at this point. The Dutch Oven was a very good piece of cookware – one that Maura felt was essential for the kitchen – but Maura knew that while Jane enjoyed cooking for the practicality, this wasn't something she really wanted. "This is cool. Aren't these expensive though?"

Maura rolled her eyes. Leave it to Jane to be worried about the price. "Jane…" she warned. Sure, it wasn't cheap, but that wasn't the point.

"Sorry. I love it," Jane said, looking up at Maura.

Maura laughed. "Why don't you take a look at it?" she suggested.

A confused look crossed Jane's face as she looked back at the box. "It's beautiful," she said in her confusion.

Maura laughed again. "Oh my god, Jane," she said exasperatedly. "Open the box!"

"Okay, but I can see it," she reasoned. "I don't want to break it." Still, despite her protests, she opened the box, but Maura could tell that she was still confused since the Dutch Oven was, in fact, inside the box.

At this point, Maura's patience was waning, so she reached over and lifted the top off the Dutch Oven. Jane froze when her eyes landed on what was inside the oven. Her hand shook slightly as she lifted the envelope out of the oven. Maura quickly moved the box and the oven from Jane's lap to the table, replacing the top before she closed the box.

"Are you serious?" Jane said reverently.

Maura laughed. "No, they're fake," she teased. "I got the 20-game package with two tickets in what they called the 'Field Box Seats,' which I surmise are pretty good seats. There are two tickets, so you can take whomever you want. I know work might make it hard to go to that many games, but I figured you knew enough people who you could give the tickets to, as well."

"Maura, these are amazing tickets. They're right behind home plate. This really is too much," Jane said, looking at Maura.

Maura shook her head. "Jane, please, I want to be able to do this for you. I know how much you love the Red Sox. It's not too much for me. I promise. Just please don't make me go to all of them, okay?" she added teasingly.

Jane cracked a smile. Maura could tell that her friend was still slightly uncomfortable with the expense, but she really hoped that Jane could get past it. She knew Jane knew that she had money, but she wasn't sure that Jane really understood how much money she had. The price of the tickets didn't make a dent in her finances.

"But you'll go to a few with me?" Jane asked, and Maura smiled as she realized that Jane was slowly accepting the gift.

"A few, yes," she said. "As long as you also keep the Dutch Oven, so that I can use it when I cook at your apartment."

Jane laughed as she glanced at the box on the table. She had clearly long forgotten about the cookware. "Deal," Jane said. She leaned over and pulled Maura into another hug. "Thank you so much," she whispered thickly into Maura's hair, and Maura's heart swelled at the love and gratitude she could hear in Jane's voice. When they separated, Jane looked at the tickets again. "I feel like I shouldn't be responsible for these," she teased.

Maura laughed but offered, "I know you're joking, but if you want, I can put them back in my safe until the season starts."

"Uh, actually, yeah," Jane said. She started to hand Maura the tickets before stopping. "Wait, I gotta take a picture or Frankie and Tommy will never believe me."

Maura ran the tickets upstairs. When she returned, Jane had cleaned up the wrapping paper and moved the box with the Dutch Oven back under the tree. She had a small box sitting on the coffee table for Maura.

"Ma always puts our gifts under the tree after we open them, so I just put it there until I go," Jane explained. She picked up the wrapped box and handed it to Maura. "Um, so this feels really lame after the gift you gave me, but, um, Merry Christmas," she said shyly.

"Thank you, Jane," Maura said, taking the box with a smile. Maura really hoped that Jane knew that she didn't care how much either of them had spent on the gifts. All that mattered to her was the thought. What Jane didn't know was that Maura hadn't received a Christmas gift or birthday gift since she had turned 18. Her parents felt that only children should receive gifts, so they stopped giving her gifts after her 18th birthday, and she had never had close friends. She had never even exchanged gifts with her previous romantic partners, instead choosing to engage in some event or experience together.

Maura's hands were trembling as she removed the wrapping paper. Inside was a velvet box about the size of a piece of bread. She opened the box, and inside there was a beautiful silver bracelet. Maura gently lifted it from the box to have a closer look. There were beads on one side of the bracelet in a pattern Maura didn't recognize as well as two colored beads dangling from it.

"It's morse code," Jane explained shyly. "The silver beads are the dots and dashes. Obviously, the round ones are the dots, and the long ones are the dashes. The tiny clear beads differentiate between letters and the large clear beads are the spaces between words. The dangly ones are each of our birthstones.

"I'm sorry. It's lame," Jane said after a moment of silence, but Maura wasn't listening to her as she processed what she was looking at.

"Dot, dot, word break, dot, dash, dot, dot, space, dash, dash, dash, space, dot, dot, dot, dash, space, dot, word break, dash, dot, dash, dash, space, dash, dash, dash, space dot, dot, dash," Maura read the beads out loud. Her throat felt tight, and her stomach fluttered lightly as she realized what it said. "I love you," she whispered so quietly that she wasn't sure if Jane would even hear her, but she did.

The smile on Jane's face was huge as she realized that Maura was actually able to read the message on the bracelet.

"I thought, you know, this way, when you wear it, you can always remember that you're loved, but it's not like a gaudy teenager piece of jewelry," Jane said embarrassedly.

Maura didn't really know what Jane meant by teenager jewelry, but she didn't care. Right now, she was just trying not to cry. There was no way Jane would ever understand what this gift meant to her.

"I love it, Jane," Maura whispered. "I love it so much."

"It's not much, but…" Jane started.

Maura shook her head. "It's perfect," she cut in. "Really, Jane. I love it. It's absolutely perfect."

They shared a warm smile and another hug, but Jane seemed to be hitting her limit for emotional moments for the evening, so she excused herself to make the hot chocolate. Maura sat on the couch staring at the bracelet. She knew that this would forever be her favorite piece of jewelry.

Now (Jane)

"Okay, this time we'll start with Tony and April," Frost said. "Tony, how do you think April responded to the question, 'What did your partner get you for your first Christmas together?'"

Tony held up his posterboard and said, "Socks." April laughed and held up her posterboard, which said, "Funny socks."

"And you stayed with him?" Frost teased April.

Everyone laughed and April gave a dramatic shrug before giving Tony a playful kiss.

Yuan and Xiao's answers also matched. Apparently, Yuan gave Xiao some obscure book that Jane had never heard of.

"Jane, how do you think Maura answered the question, 'What did your partner get you for your first Christmas together?'" Frost asked.

"I got her a 'morse code bracelet,'" Jane said brightly as she held up her posterboard.

Frost snickered to himself before asking, "Maura?"

"Jane gave me 'a custom bracelet that said 'I love you' in morse code'" Maura read. "Oh, and it also had two beads dangling from it – one in each of our birthstone colors," she added as an afterthought.

Jane turned bright red. She hadn't been expecting Maura to tell everyone in the room what the bracelet actually said. She saw a glimmer of amusement pass over Frost's face, and she wanted to bury her own face in her hands. However, when she turned to look at Maura, who had a huge, glowing smile on her face, Jane decided the embarrassment was worth it.

"And our married couple. Wendy, how do you think Jason answered the question, 'What did your partner get you for your first Christmas together?" Frost said.

"I bought him a tie," Wendy said, holding up her response. "Does it get more cliché than that?" she added, drawing laughter from the crowd.

"It does because now I have to say, you're right and I'm wrong," Jason said with a laugh as he held up his own response, which said, 'Running shoes.'

"That was our second Christmas," Wendy said in mock indignation, trying not to laugh. "When we both decided we were going to lose weight for our wedding."

"It's been so long, who can remember?" Jason teased, earning himself a playful smack from his wife. The crowd was loving their playful banter.

"Alright, Xiao & Yuan and Rizzles are tied with 200 points apiece, while The Shores and Tapril are tied at 100 points apiece," Frost said. "On to question number three.

A/N: Morse code for "I love you": .. | .-.. - ...- . | -.- - ..-

Round 1: Question 2

The Shores: 100
Tapril: 100
Xiao & Yuan: 200
Rizzles: 200