Hey! I just wanted to give the characters a bit more fluff to even out all the heavier stuff. :)
What better way than to have a cute little beach day? Mostly fluff, with a dash of important plot. -JJ
"Maura?" She heard Jane calling her name from somewhere in the house but she couldn't quite locate where the voice was coming from. She'd just gotten home from a jog and hadn't expected to find Jane in her house because they hadn't made plans that morning.
"Jane?" She called back in surprise as she kicked off her runners.
"I'm in here!" The voice yelled, and Maura shook her head.
"I don't know where 'here' is, Jane!" Maura responded to the voice and heard an annoyed groan. She grabbed her water bottle from the fridge and moved to stand in the hallway that led to her spare room, bedroom, downstairs bathroom, and home office. "Here?"
"Ugh! Maura!" The voice called from somewhere else, so she climbed halfway up the stairs of her home and called out again.
"Up here?" She asked, now growing concerned as to why Jane wasn't just coming out.
"For the love of God! I am in here!" Jane shouted frustratedly from somewhere downstairs. She sounded muffled, out of breath, and very, very distant. Maura moved back down the stairs and looked at the two remaining possible doors. Closet or pantry? Closet or pantry? Maura mused in her head. Jane likes food more than she likes clothes… She decided and she walked over to the pantry door and opened it to find an embarrassed looking Jane. "I'm stuck." Maura tilted her head to the side while she assessed what she was looking at.
"Are you injured?" She asked and Jane rolled her eyes.
"No, I'm stuck!" Jane complained and Maura tried to hide her grin, she really did, but it came anyway and Jane groaned. "Maura! Help me!"
"Okay, I just have to do one thing first," Maura held up a finger and removed her phone from her pocket.
"Are you seriously taking a picture of me right now?" Jane complained and Maura laughed.
"Absolutely, I think you look great," Maura admitted and she took photos of Jane pouting, stuck between two shelves, one of which had fallen, covered head to toe in flour and surrounded by several cans and boxes of tea, preservatives, and baking goods. "What, may I ask, are you doing in my pantry?"
"Well I was trying to get some flour for Ma, but you keep it so high up that even I can't reach it and I couldn't find a ladder and I figured, 'hey, Maura's rich, she's probably got secure shelving,' but no! Apparently, you use the same crap as the rest of us because I climbed up to grab the flour and the next thing I know I'm falling, covered in flour, stuck in my best friend's pantry screaming for help as million-dollar panda poop tea boxes are hitting me in the head!" Maura couldn't help but laugh at the scene before her and her stomach was starting to hurt as she struggled to control her breathing. "It isn't funny, Maura!"
"I'm so sorry, Jane," Maura chuckled out and then moved into the pantry to push the shelf off of Jane and back into place.
"I am so mad at you right now," Jane complained.
"Me? What did I do?" Maura asked, still trying to cover up her smirk. "You're the one who was stealing my flour, Jane. I was out jogging."
"Yeah, and then you came in and you took pictures of me instead of helping me. I could have been seriously injured or horribly disfigured."
"I asked if you were hurt first, Jane. And I like the pictures… so..." Maura chuckled out and Jane narrowed her eyes.
"You know what? You're right. You did the right thing, I'm sorry," Jane said in an unexpectedly calm tone.
"I did? You are?" Maura questioned.
"Yes, you're a really good friend and person. In fact, I'm grateful. I'm indebted to you, Maur. I must repay you," Jane continued in her intriguing, serious tone.
"It was nothing…" Maura stated in confusion. "There's no need for repayment."
"I insist. Best friends repay each other for things like this. It's like you said before, our relationship thrives on equality and I know exactly how I would like to thank you for helping me out," Jane finished with a twitch of her mouth and Maura suddenly got suspicious.
"Uh-huh, how's that?" She asked cautiously with her eyes glaring accusingly at Jane. Jane suddenly opened her arms wide and smiled winningly as she declared her intentions.
"Magic yoga hug!" She yelled triumphantly and Maura's eyes widened before she shook her head and quickly backed away from the pantry only to be pursued by the most determined person she'd ever met. Resistance was futile. She knew it deep in her bones. She slowly backed away from Jane until she was on one side of the island and Jane was on the other.
They entered a staredown, both waiting for the other to break. Maura fleetingly thought of the way wolves postured before fighting. She gulped, glanced around her kitchen for something to help her, and saw a carton of eggs placed just a tad closer to her than to Jane. Jane followed her gaze and dared Maura to try to go for it with a quirked brow. It seemed that they moved at the same moment and although Maura knew she was about to make a big mess in her kitchen, she knew it was worth it to have fun with Jane. She thought she had the advantage but Jane was quicker. Instead of reaching for the eggs, Jane reached for Maura's waist and tried to pull her from her ammunition. She wasn't quite fast enough though, so Maura was able to grab three eggs, one of which was immediately crushed between their bodies, leaving a sticky, uncomfortable mess and Maura with one egg in each hand.
"I just wanted a hug!" Jane yelled as she reached to steal one of Maura's eggs. "Have you learned nothing about situational negotiation?" Jane held tightly to Maura with one hand while reaching for an egg with the other. Maura, seeing an opportunity in Jane's distraction, took the egg from one hand and broke it on Jane's flour-covered curls. Jane gasped and scowled at Maura as she finally wrestled the last egg out of Maura's hand. "You do realize that you got yourself into this mess, right?" Jane asked.
"Mhmm," Maura said lamely with a pout, although she was secretly delighted.
"And you're aware of what I am about to do with this egg, correct?" Jane furthered her argument and Maura sighed.
"Yeah..." She accepted her fate but that didn't keep her from pouting about it. Jane, still with one arm wrapped around Maura's waist, glanced down at Maura's pouting lips and smirked.
"Good!" Jane said, suddenly very excited, and then in one swift motion, she cracked the egg over Maura's ponytail. Jane wiped the excess egg on her shirt before she wrapped her second arm around Maura's waist and simply held her. "Are you sorry for laughing at me and taking a picture of me while I was stuck?" Jane asked and Maura giggled.
"No." Maura smiled up at Jane who was grinning down at her. They were interrupted by the sound of a click and they turned to see Tommy standing with a camera.
"Lookin' good, Janie. I like the white. It suits you," he smirked cockily and Jane groaned.
"Oh, Come on! Tommy! What are you doing here?" Jane complained as she loosened her grip on Maura to turn and face her youngest brother.
"I'm just dropping off TJ. Ma said she'd watch him for the next couple of days so I can help Giovanni in the shop. Ma was wondering what was taking you so long," Tommy chuckled at the sight of the women. "Oh, uh, is that cool with you, Maura, if TJ stays with Ma for a couple of days? He sure misses you, by the way."
"Yeah, butter her up, kid. That'll get you what you want," Jane rolled her eyes.
"Yeah right. Looks like you battered her up, Janie," he sassed and then turned to Maura. "Can't believe of all the Rizzoli siblings you picked this one," he spoke jokingly but Maura blushed furiously. She looked at Jane who scowled and felt comfort ease through her body.
"What can I say? I'm a sucker for women with high cheekbones," Maura admitted, careful not to confirm or deny Tommy's assumption, so as not to cause confusion with Angela, and then she changed the subject. "I'm always happy to have TJ here. He's a delight, though I'd rather clean up in here before he comes to the main house…" Tommy laughed and nodded his head.
"Okay, thanks. I'll go tell Ma not to bring him over for a bit. Wanna play chess when I come to pick him up?"
"You're on," Maura responded to Tommy who grinned and then turned to Jane.
"You know Ma's gonna be pissed about the flour, right?" He looked at Jane and they rolled their eyes at each other.
"Yeah, well, you deal with that. Get outta here before I crack an egg on you," Jane threatened jokingly and Tommy smiled at the pair of them before he waved and left to the guest house.
"You're so lucky, Jane," Maura smiled as she got the cleaning supplies.
"Because I have two knucklehead brothers and a mother that sends me on flour heists?" Jane asked and Maura laughed.
"That's exactly why," Maura confirmed and Jane grabbed the broom out of her hand.
"Let me do that. I made the mess, I'll clean it up. Plus you're probably going crazy thinking about what that egg is doing to your hair routine right now. Go shower." Jane pointed to the bathroom and Maura's shoulders relaxed.
"Thank you," Maura stated and without thinking, she lifted herself onto her toes to kiss Jane's cheek. She pulled away to find Jane with a goofy lopsided smile; one she was sure she mirrored, and then she walked down the hall to clean herself up. Maura caught her reflection in the mirror and although she was sweaty from her run, covered in flour and egg, arguably messier than she ever had been, she also noticed that she looked and felt happier than she ever had before. Her microexpressions indicated contentment and she had a happy glow in her cheeks. She was so grateful to Jane for teaching her about fun and playing. Growing up, Maura had hobbies but they were more targeted toward brain development and character growth. It wasn't until she met Jane that she'd experienced fun for the sake of fun. She felt entirely lucky to have a messy disaster in her kitchen. She waited for Jane to be in the shower later before she moved to her office to write in her journal.
Experiment Seven - Playful Compatibility
Data and Analysis: Jane shows me so much about what it means to enjoy life. I've always adored the finer things; wine, art, the Musée d'Orsay, but Jane teaches me how to just have fun and enjoy the simplicity of life. There's a beauty in playing that leaves me in just as much a state of awe as Euler's number e. She's everything I've been missing. Where growing up the kids in school would never pick me for their teams, Jane is the first one to throw me the metaphorical ball. Maybe not with baseball, but I'm getting better! The point is that it doesn't matter if I'm good at baseball or not, Jane at the very least invites me to the game. I'm going to drop the baseball metaphor now.
She isn't afraid to make fun of herself or make a bit of a mess to have a good time and I love that about her. It's so freeing to experience a day with Jane Rizzoli. I can only imagine that the result of this experience is positive. She held me until we got interrupted by Tommy (and she didn't panic!?) and then even offered to clean up. I know that's not exactly impressive because she made most of the mess, but it was still thoughtful for her to think about my hair, which I was admittedly worried about.
P.s. Is it crazy to love someone because they care about your hair washing routine? I don't care, I'm doing it anyway.
Experiment Eight - A Surprise Kiss
Data and Analysis: She has the greatest, goofiest smile. I feel like this is what my first crush should have felt like. I'm so enamored by her. I didn't even realize I'd kissed her cheek until after I'd done it. It was the most natural thing in the world. I'd never done it before but it felt like I had. It feels like I should have been doing it all the while. That smile is the best reward.
P.s. It is a scientific impossibility for eyes to sparkle, but hers don't seem to care what science says is impossible.
Maura reread her entries and grinned as she slowly used one foot to turn back and forth in her chair while her other leg was tucked up to support the journal in her lap. Maura drew a quick sketch on the free page next to her latest entries of a couple of cracked eggs, but instead of yolk, she drew a bunch of hearts floating up out of the shells.
"Let's go say hello to Maura!" Jane spoke from around the corner of Maura's office sometime later and a squeal of excitement was the only warning before TJ ran into the room and climbed directly into Maura's lap.
"Hi, Mo!" He greeted her and threw his arms around her neck in a tight hug.
"Hello, TJ," Maura responded and smiled widely at Jane over his shoulder. "Someone told me that you drew a very nice picture of Bass at school!"
"I did! Tony said it was a turtle, but I told him no! Bass is a, uhh… African spear tortoise! I told him!" TJ proudly informed Maura.
"African spurred tortoise, good job!" Maura both corrected and congratulated the tiny human so as not to hurt his feelings.
"TJ was wondering if we could go to the beach with Nona," Jane spoke from where she leaned against the doorframe.
"Maybe we'll see more Basses there!" TJ shook with excitement and looked expectantly at Maura for information.
"We might see some painted turtles, I've seen those there before," Maura offered and TJ frowned as if deep in thought.
"Painted turtles? What's their real name, Mo?" TJ asked and expectantly looked at Maura as if there was no possible way 'painted turtle' was an actual name. He'd noticed early on that Maura used scientific names for a lot of things and made a habit of asking her what things 'real names' were. She smiled at him, completely loving the game they played.
"Chrysemys picta," Maura grinned down at him and he stared at her as if she was crazy.
"Chrysem... We took a Christmas picture when Santa was coming… what does Santa have to do with painting turtles?" He asked and Jane laughed from the doorway. Maura wasn't sure how she always had these misunderstandings with TJ but he seemed to love her anyway so she didn't mind much.
"Santa loves turtles," Maura stated matter of factly, and Jane raised an eyebrow at her. It wasn't a lie. Santa was fictional, he could hypothetically love anything.
"How do you know that, doctor Isles?" Jane sassed.
"You know Santa?" TJ asked with wide, awestruck eyes. "Tell him I want a Bass, please."
"Okay, I'll bring it up in the next conversation I have with Santa." Maura grinned at the complete handle she had as she danced close to the line of lying.
"So… beach?" Jane saved her.
"Yes, I'd love to go to the beach with you, TJ," Maura said, glad to be on a safer topic than Santa.
"Perfect! You know all the cool stuff! Can we learn about shells? Oh! Let's learn about clouds! Auntie Jane says you love clouds!" TJ climbed down off of Maura's lap and walked over to hold Jane's hand, beckoning for Maura to follow.
"She did?" Maura asked him as she followed them through the house, TJ holding onto one of each of their hands.
"Ya, she said she showed you how to watch them. She said you looked prettier than the clouds though. Do you learn a lot from Auntie Jane?"
"I do," Maura smiled down at him and then looked up to find Jane blushing.
"Me too, she's my best friend," TJ declared and Maura's smile deepened.
"Mine too."
The beach wasn't particularly busy and the families and couples that were there seemed content to just enjoy a lazy day in the sun. Maura thought it was peaceful. She wondered if people assumed that she and Jane were TJ's parents. Maura didn't want children of her own, but the idea of people thinking that she and Jane were together in such a way did appeal to her. She wanted to be Jane's family. Jane looked over and smiled at her and suddenly Maura was shaking her head at herself because she realized she already was Jane's family. One would be hard-pressed to wipe the grin off of Maura's face after she realized that.
"Maura, you look so lovely. I don't know how you manage to make everything look so good," Angela complimented and Maura tilted her head to the side.
"What do you mean?" Maura asked as she looked down at her simple white sandals, white shorts, and sky-blue blouse.
"She's talking about that house of a hat you're wearing," Jane teased and then glanced up at the rather large and floppy beach hat.
"I'll have you know that this is a Neiman Marcus, and it is both stylish and effective in its purpose," Maura argued, not bothered by Jane's teasing.
"Is its purpose to turn you into an umbrella?" Jane asked and Maura pinched her side causing Jane to wack her hands away.
"Leave Mo alone, she looks pretty like a cloud," TJ defended and Maura laughed brightly.
"Yes, stop teasing Maura!" Angela agreed. "I'm gonna go get in line, I want a sundae," the elder Rizzoli motioned to the ice cream hut and walked off.
"TJ, you're really great at saying lots of words, bud. Do you have a hard time with Maura's name?" Jane knelt down after finding a 'good spot' and began to speak to her nephew.
"I can say 'Maura!' She likes 'Mo!'" TJ argued passionately and Jane raised her eyebrows at him before she looked at Maura for confirmation.
"He's right, I quite like it… only from him though. And why is that?" Maura playfully asked TJ.
"Cause you're Mo, so you get 'Mo' hugs and you get 'Mo' kisses," TJ recited the pun happily and Maura laughed, entertained and proud of his complete grasp of the joke.
"You taught him that?" Jane asked and TJ ran off to join Angela in line at the ice cream stand.
"No, actually. I asked him for one more hug last year after Easter dinner and now he gives me one regular hug when he leaves, and one 'Mo' hug when he leaves," Maura stated proudly. As much as she didn't want kids of her own, she was always pleased to spend time with TJ.
"Ahh, so that's what's up with all the special treatment. Here I thought he hated me. Just one hug. The nerve." Jane joked and Maura smirked at her.
"Earlier today he said you were his best friend," Maura pointed out.
"Uh-huh, and he said you know all the cool stuff, which is true." Jane grinned and then pulled a large towel out of her bag before laying it in the sand. Maura smiled as she remembered what else TJ had said earlier. "What's with the face?"
"I'm not making a face," Maura denied. She wasn't making a face on purpose, she was just smiling because Jane had said she was prettier than clouds and she felt giddy, and a little bit ridiculous for feeling giddy.
"Yes, you are. You look like you just won the lottery. Wait no, you're already rich… you look like…" Jane paused to think. "You look like you do when you find particularly intriguing stomach contents, only happier so… what's with the face?" Jane repeated and Maura shrugged, knowing that if she told the truth, Jane would likely become too embarrassed to know what to do.
"I'm simply enjoying my time at the beach," Maura deflected, laid her own towel down and changed the subject. "Did you put sunscreen on?"
"Yes, doctor Isles, and I'll reapply it if I go swimming or in two hours as recommended by whoever wrote on the bottle that I should reapply it in two hours," Jane sassed and the corners of Maura's lips tilted up in the hint of a smile.
"Ooo, look at you being responsible," Maura teased flirtatiously as she got settled on her towel.
"You like that?" Jane asked in an equally sultry tone and Maura raised an eyebrow at her.
"Oh, I do. I really, really do," Maura said seriously and Jane laughed, pushing Maura's shoulder.
"You're such a goof," Jane chuckled out right before Maura was thrust into a world of torture all because of the simple removal of a tank top. Sweet, oblivious Jane confidently tugged the material over her head and carelessly tossed the shirt into her backpack, kicked off her sandals, and braced her body weight on her hands behind her back. She tilted her face to the sky with her eyes closed, letting the sun warm her already sun-kissed, almost bronze skin.
Maura couldn't hope to tear her eyes away as she greedily took in Jane's windswept curls, the easy smile on Jane's face, the curve of her neck as she looked up into the sky, oblivious to her beauty and the effect she had. Maura's eyes moved to the swell of Jane's breasts, enveloped in a basic, string-tied, black bikini top. Maura wet her lips at the sight and let her eyes roam over the expanse of Jane's stomach, longing for Jane to also remove her tattered, well-worn cutoff jean shorts. She imagined how long it would take for Jane to push the shorts down her long legs. Maura had to touch. Her eyes swept again over Jane's body until they landed on the bullet wound scar on Jane's torso and Maura reached out to graze the skin around the entrance wound, long healed, but not forgotten.
It was a sign of the part of Jane that Maura was fearful of. It was proof of the detective's relentless selflessness and brought forth numerous memories of Jane bleeding on the sidewalk. Jane jumping off of bridges. Jane entering a crime scene with a broken nose. Jane replacing a hostage with herself. Jane breaking free from her binds and taking on two adult men to save Maura's life. Jane giving up everything to save the people she loved and perfect strangers alike. Jane's relentless pursuit of protection. It scared Maura, but it was who Jane was and although there was a risk of losing Jane at any second, that just made Maura want to love her all the more, as much as she could for as long as she was able. It was the part of Jane she feared the most, hated the most, respected and loved the most all in one complex, infinite state of flux. She looked up to see Jane eyeing her and pressed her hand flatly over the wound.
"You're going to give me a weird tan," Jane sassed to ease the tension, and then she grabbed Maura's hand, brought it to her mouth to place a gentle kiss to the fingers and clasped Maura's hand over her heart. "I'm okay, Maura. You saved me."
"No, I… you saved us. Me and Frankie. You shot yourself to save Frannkie…" Maura denied her part in saving Jane's life. She didn't think Jane remembered Maura triaging her all those years ago and she never brought it up because she didn't want to make Jane feel weak or guilty. It wasn't something they ever seriously discussed. Until now, it seemed.
"I don't remember everything that happened after I pulled the trigger," Jane spoke as she looked out at the water. "I remember thinking that I had to do something to get the EMTs in to get Frankie and I knew what I had to do. I remember you screaming my name and then everything just… goes black for a while. But, I remember being in the ambulance, Maura. I remember you telling the EMT what you did, and I didn't know what you were saying, all I knew was that you were sad and afraid. I remember hearing the EMT saying that you saved my life… that if you hadn't gotten to me so fast I would have died. You saved me, Maura. I'm alive because of you and I can never thank you enough for that," Jane revealed what she remembered about that day and Maura wasn't sure how to respond. It wasn't something they talked about. Not like this. They danced around the subject of all the times either of them had almost died or risked their lives for the other. Instead, electing to thank the other for something else, but each knowing what they truly meant. Maura remembered when they'd been fighting and they almost died together at the yoga resort because Jane refused to leave her side. They didn't speak of almost dying together then, either. Maura had thanked Jane for saving her leg, not her life, but they both heard the true meaning behind the words.
"You scare me sometimes… with your willingness to sacrifice yourself for anybody. Me, Frankie… perfect strangers who might not even deserve it," Maura admitted and Jane squeezed her hand chuckled before she laid their hands on the sand between their towels.
"You're the same, Maura," Jane reasoned, her voice full of the same worry Maura carried for Jane.
"How? I would never jump off a bridge and risk my life as you did! I wouldn't shoot myself. It's crazy! You're crazy," Maura spoke in a tone of utter disbelief at Jane's claim.
"Yes, you would! You do the same thing, just in different ways. You put everyone before yourself… You gave my mom a house. You gave Cailin a freakin kidney! You patched up Paddy and you took in his father, who would have killed you if he could, just because you're so damn stupidly generous. You risk your life going undercover... You risk losing yourself just as much as I do, Maura. We're the same," Jane seemed resolute in her comparison and Maura continued to stare at her in disbelief. "If we were hanging off the side of a cliff and you had one hand holding me and one hand holding us to the cliff, would you be able to let go of me to save yourself even if I told you to?" Jane asked and Maura didn't even need to think before she answered.
"No."
"We're the same." Jane nodded and then let go of Maura's hand to trace the thin scar on Maura's neck that Hoyt had made all those years ago, and pointedly looked to the faded scar on Maura's leg from the yoga resort. "We keep each other safe."
"It's what we do," was the only response Maura could think to make because it was truthful.
"You're kind of a badass, you know that?" Jane leaned back on her hands again and smirked at Maura who scoffed.
"Me? You're a badass. You're a badass for a living! You did surgery in the middle of the woods with a nail file and a piece of glass," Maura argued and Jane laughed.
"You let me! I wouldn't have been able to do it if you hadn't been so… you," Jane chuckled and shook her head at the memory. "Even when you hated me you trusted me. That's badass."
"I could never hate you," Maura admitted. "You're my person." Jane's smile widened into a lopsided grin.
"You need to stop watching medical drama television shows. It's turning you into a sap," Jane teased and Maura scoffed at her.
"You showed it to me!" Maura argued playfully.
"No, it just happened to be on… I was trying to find baseball," Jane said indignantly.
"I don't believe you for a second. You immediately got the reference I made," Maura teased and Jane rolled her eyes.
"Fine, but don't tell anyone," Jane admitted her secret love of popular television series 'Grey's Anatomy' and Maura laughed.
"Your secret is safe with me."
"What secret?" Angela and TJ walked back over to them and Angela pulled out a camera while TJ sat next to Maura.
"My secret love for Maura's extensive hat collection," Jane smirked and Maura pushed her shoulder playfully.
"Can I try it on?" TJ asked and Maura smiled widely at him.
"Of course, darling," Maura agreed and took the hat off of her head and placed it on TJ's. He beamed as he sat between Jane and Maura, looking expectantly between them. "Pretty like a cloud," Maura said and poked his nose eliciting a delighted giggle from him.
"You're too cute! Let me take a picture of the three of you. Tommy will love it!" Angela gushed and for once, Jane didn't complain. She posed leaning back on her hands with TJ nestled between her and Maura, who was sitting with her knees folded under herself and tucked to the side. As Maura moved to support her weight on one hand, her fingers landed on Jane's. They laced their fingers together and shared a small smile before they looked into the camera. "Say cheese!"
After a few snapshots of posed pictures, Jane got impatient and declared that she would only pose for more pictures in exchange for ice cream, and proceeded to try to steal her mother's. Maura did end up looking at shells with TJ and he listened with rapt attention to all the details she gave him, even though he likely didn't understand some of the words. She liked that he seemed so curious and that when he would ask a question, he would listen fully to the answer and repeat some things or ask for clarification. Maura decided she didn't want to go into the water fully, but she still wanted to be near her people, so she removed her outer layers of clothing when Jane decided it was time for a swim. She noticed Jane look at her body and white bikini several times, but the glances weren't long enough to be considered ogling. Maura still took it as a good sign. She waded into the water to her ankles and took in the sight of TJ swimming back and forth between Jane and Angela. She got the sort of full feeling that occurred whenever she was around the Rizzoli's and couldn't keep the smile off of her face, especially when Jane paused playing with TJ to simply check Maura out and grin mischievously at her. There were no clouds to speak of, so they couldn't go cloud-watching, but TJ wanted to build a sandcastle with Angela after swimming anyway, so Maura and Jane moved back to sit on their towels.
"Are you guys gay?" Maura turned her attention from TJ building a sandcastle with Angela to see a curious-looking little girl and a rather embarrassed looking woman a few feet behind struggling under the weight of countless beach toys. Jane seemed to have frozen, but it was mostly in surprise, with only a little bit of fear.
"Emily!" The woman chastised to get the girl's attention and Maura watched the girls face scrunch up in annoyance.
"Mooo-ooom! I was just asking a question!" The girl argued back to her mother who had caught up to her. Maura had heard Jane use that tone with Angela thousands of times and was entertained by the notion that one never grows out of that childlike relationship.
"Excuse her, she's not exactly shy," the girl's mother jogged over and scooped up the little girl, which was impressive, considering how full her hands already were.
"You told to ask questions!" Emily argued as if her mother was the most unreasonable human on the face of the Earth.
"Yes, to uncle Andy and Kevin, honey," she interrupted her daughter and then turned to Jane. "Sorry, my brother just introduced us to his first boyfriend and now she's asking everyone if they're gay."
"It's fine. It's normal for children her age to be curious. It's better she ask and learn than for her questions to be kept under a rug," Maura informed smartly and Jane snorted at her.
"It's swept under the rug, dear," Jane corrected and then threw an arm around Maura's shoulders. Maura was surprised but elated to have Jane be so open again. Why was she fine with closeness sometimes but not others? If it was possible to get whiplash from confusion, Maura would have had it then.
"So you are gay," Emily nodded. "I knew it. You look happy like when my daddy brings flowers home for mama. Two ladies can be married?" The girl continued her rationalization and her mother blushed but grinned at her.
"Yes, honey. Two boys can get married or two girls can get married, or a boy and a girl, or anything in between. You marry people who make you happy," she explained and Emily seemed satisfied with the answer because she remained quiet. "You have a beautiful family," the woman told Jane, and Jane looked over to her mother and nephew and then to Maura before she responded.
"Yes, I do." The woman smiled and walked away and Jane chuckled after them before she removed her arm from around Maura. "I'm going to go see if they can use my sandcastle building expertise."
"I'll be here," Maura answered, and as Jane moved to go help, Maura discreetly wrote in her journal.
Experiment Nine - Beach Day
Data and Analysis: Jane seems more open to discussing her emotions lately. I wonder if it's because of these experiments or if we've just become closer due to the natural progression of friendship. Either way, we are closer than we have ever been. We've always been close and cared greatly for each other but we never quite discussed what that meant. Now Jane seems fine and willing to talk about anything and that is giving me the courage I need to show her this book and perhaps 'seal the deal' so to speak. She also didn't panic today when that mother and daughter assumed we were together. Is it easier for Jane to pretend rather than be found out in an actual intimate setting like the restaurant? She is deceptively complex, and although I am probably as close an expert as one can be on Jane Rizzoli, sometimes I simply do not understand her.
P.s. How does she not know how gorgeous she looks in a bikini?
Maura began to doodle a little image of a family of giraffes on a beach looking at clouds. She looked up at the sound of a motorcycle passing on the road behind them and looked over to see Jane curiously staring at her. She closed the journal slowly so as not to arouse suspicion and then looked back up to Jane. Maura then got a rather mischievous idea as she remembered the time she explained the inner workings of a motorcycle to Frankie in a way that was rife with innuendo. She looked around the beach to find something and as her eyes landed on the ice cream hut, she grinned devilishly.
"Jane, would you accompany me in getting ice cream, please?" She called as innocently as she could.
"Kay," Jane replied simply, kissed TJ on the head, and then moved to help Maura onto her feet.
"Thank you."
"What were you writing about?" Jane asked as she pointed to Maura's bag where the 'Jane Journal' was hidden.
"Just... writing about the most beautiful things I've discovered on the beach today," Maura answered honestly and elusively, earning a raised eyebrow from Jane.
"You were writing about bugs and the beauty of their symbiotic relationships, weren't you?" Jane accused and Maura laughed at how wrong the guess was.
"I could have been," Maura said. That was at least true.
"Nerd," Jane teased and elbowed Maura's side as they approached the line at the hut.
"Do you know how ice cream is made?" Maura prompted casually.
"I'm sure I'm about to," Jane snarked and Maura had to work to keep her face neutral.
"Well, one can't simply place a container of milk or cream in a freezer and get the soft, creamy substance that we're used to. I thought you might be interested to know-"
"I am. Sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. Please, tell me how they make the best beach treat in the world," Jane encouraged and Maura couldn't help but smile. She had Jane just where she wanted her.
"Special techniques need to be employed to create smaller ice crystals so that the liquid doesn't simply freeze into a solid block," Maura started off factually and slowly changed her voice to her low, sultry candor so as not to arouse Jane's suspicion... just Jane herself. "They have to keep the liquid cream in constant motion as it hardens over a cool surface, introducing air to soften the mixture. They must methodically churn the cream to ensure that large, stiff ice crystals do not form within the mixture." Jane cleared her throat at this and Maura continued, enunciating words tactfully. "Salt is often used because it lowers the melting point of ice. There is generally salt-filled ice packed surrounding the ice cream chamber to cool it faster, never touching, but drawing out the heat as the cream of the inner chamber is deliberately and meticulously kneaded in an ever-growing pace until it is finally turned into the soft, creamy delight known as ice cream."
"Jesus," Jane muttered and Maura had to work not to laugh.
"Yes, it's rather quite interesting." Maura cheekily smiled and then turned to the server to order, sure that Jane was red from more than just sun exposure. "Would you like anything, Jane?"
"What? Oh, no. No, I'm fine thanks," Jane waved off.
"You're welcome to share mine if you'd like," Maura offered as they walked back to their towels and Maura licked the ice cream just as Jane glanced over to her.
"Nope!" Jane averted her gaze and from Maura quickly but she saw the arousal on Jane's face anyway. "I'll just uh, I'm gonna go help TJ again... Maybe see if he wants to swim some more." Jane used her thumb to indicate to the water and then stumbled over her bag as she walked away.
Experiments ten - Ice cream innuendo
Data and Analysis: Success. That's all I have to say.
P.s. A flustered Jane is a Jane I like to see.
a/n: I read in a lot of fics that Maura hates Jane for being so recklessly selfless and to an extent, I think that's true, but Maura is so giving and so forgiving that I don't think she'd ever really hold it against Jane. That's just who she is. Who they both are, in my opinion.
Anyway, buckle the *heck* up for the next chapter because it is the longest yet, and it is an emotional rollercoaster. I feel you need a warning. It should be up soon, I'm just doing my usual finishing touches and editing. I don't have a Beta and I don't like waiting on other people so I usually just re-read my work about a hundred times before posting it. I hope you guys like how I wrote TJ! I don't really deal with a lot of kids so... I did my best.
