"Spin a little tighter, and the world's a little brighter, just get yourself inside her love." - Counting Crows

Maura had spent her entire life absorbing information. Meticulous and thorough, she found fascination in every subject the realms of science and art could offer her. Yet, no subject had ever captivated her quite as much as Jane Rizzoli. In the weeks following their first conversations, Maura learned thousands of things that she carefully committed to memory.

She quickly learned that sarcasm was a tool that could convey far more than just contempt. It could illustrate fallacies and break tension. It could also imply fondness, a realization that made Maura smile for hours afterwards.

She found that Jane easily became absorbed in work, just like her. She learned that the brunette had an uncanny intuition and could perceive far more than the average person. She discovered that Jane could play the piano, but would absolutely, under no circumstances, demonstrate that ability for anyone.

She learned that Jane and Tommy were close in some ways, yet distant in others. When Tommy did something reckless or thoughtless, Jane straightened him out (Tommy Edward Rizzoli, do NOT touch that wasps' nest.) When Jane fell into a dark mood, Tommy could get her to laugh, or at least smile.

Yet, Maura also found the siblings frustrated each other quite easily. Tommy felt Jane treated him like a kid. Jane felt Tommy was too fickle to depend on. Maura could see he worked hard, but lacked the focus to reliably complete tasks without Jane directing him. The blonde sensed there was a piece to their dynamic she was missing.

She also noticed exciting things. She learned that if she wore shoes that weren't suited for the outdoors, Jane would periodically reach out to steady or support her on the elbow, the shoulder, the lower back. She learned that if she purposefully didn't wear a jacket on brisk days, Jane would insist Maura wear hers (Jesus Maura, summer isn't for another three months) . She learned that Jane's jackets smelled like lavender and sawdust.

With Tommy's help, she learned how to blow bubbles with chewing gum. She learned that she liked spearmint flavor the best.

She learned the theory behind riding a motorcycle, and she learned that she was very bad at it. When she had tried to kick start the engine to life for the first time, she'd nearly fallen over, much to Jane's amusement. She learned that she liked being a passenger on a motorcycle far more than being a driver, particularly when Jane was driving. She learned that the brunette had a very solid torso, and tried not to blush whenever she thought about it.

She learned that the Rizzolis had a deep love for baseball (Maura, how could you not know who the Red Sox are?!) At Maura's request, Tommy spent an entire afternoon teaching her how to play the sport. At some point, Jane had emerged from the garage and watched them playing catch for a full ten minutes, a proud look on her face. When Tommy had tripped over an excited Bass whilst running for a fly ball, Jane laughed to the point of tears.

Maura learned Tommy was an impressive chess player. She learned that if she played chess with Tommy long enough, Jane would eventually interrupt and find some way to distract her brother. Maura learned that Tommy was easily distracted by sports, motorcycles, and pretty girls. Maura learned that Jane was easily distracted by sports, motorcycles, and opportunities to tease Maura. (Why do you always dress like you're about to do a photo shoot?)

Maura learned that when Jane teased her, she didn't feel insulted or threatened. She felt...liked.

Maura learned that asking about Jane's past was the quickest way to get the biker to shut down. Maura learned that Jane had another brother, Frankie, and that she loved him more than anyone.

Maura learned that every now and then, when Jane was happy and focused on something else, she would sing under her breath.

Maura learned that Jane could fix anything, literally anything. (Hell, my Pop had me changing spark plugs when I was ten.)

Maura learned that Jane glared at people who chuckled when Maura stuttered or did something awkward. Maura learned that people were nicer to her after Jane glared at them.

Maura learned that Jane listened to everything she said, even if Maura was certain she was being boring.

Maura learned that Jane was her friend.

Jane's arms burned as she pumped out push-up after push-up in the freshly cut grass. She had finished the day's work a half-hour earlier, and had vigorously thrown herself into an afternoon work-out. A few yards ahead of her, Maura sat in her garden pruning various flowers. Jane smiled to herself as she watched her friend diligently work. The strawberry blonde never looked so happy as when she was among her plants.

Jane flipped onto her back and began doing sit-ups, and with each repetition her eyes found the shorter woman. The biker loved watching Maura when she was in her own little world. She was less shy, less unsure, less guarded. Maura had significantly come out of her shell around Jane and Tommy as the weeks had gone on, but she was never as carefree as when she thought no one's eyes were on her. Jane cherished those little moments, when Maura would tunelessly hum, or mutter to herself, or skillfully manipulate plants with a practiced hand. The blonde's cheeks were slightly flushed from being in the sun, and her pants were stained in several places from the soil, yet she still somehow managed to look as poised and put together as ever. Jane found herself having to exercise increasingly more self-control when it came to not staring at her friend.

Sighing, the biker sprang to her feet, having finished her work-out. She made her way over to Maura, checking her pocket discreetly and taking a deep breath.

Maura noticed her approach, and burst into a smile. "Hi Jane!" she exclaimed, giving a little wave from her spot by the petunias. Jane felt her heart flutter a bit, the way it did every time Maura looked at her like she was her favorite person in the world. The brunette gave a little wave back, admiring the blonde's cuteness. "Hi Maur."

Maura looked over the flushed biker and blinked. "You've been doing strenuous activity."

Jane raised an eyebrow. "I was working out. Gotta keep my strength up and all that."

Maura looked momentarily confused, and her eyebrows furrowed adorably. "Keep your strength up? For what?"

"In case I have to carry more soil bags for my bossy employer," Jane said with a grin. Maura smiled back, and even gave a good-humored eye roll.

"I never asked you to carry those bags, you just started moving them."

"Mmm. You're welcome."

"Thank-you. Again."

The two stared at each other for a moment, smiling softly. Finally, Jane cleared her throat, reaching into her pocket.

"I um. I have something for you." She nervously deposited the seed packet into Maura's hand, watching the blonde's reaction. Maura gasped.

"Are these-?"

"Yeah."

"Madonna Lilies! Oh Jane, thank you so very much!"

"You like 'em?" the biker asked bashfully.

"Oh I love them! It's the best gift I could've asked for. Thank-you!" The blonde threw her arms around Jane, and the biker, stunned, took a moment to hug back. Her shampoo smells like strawberry.

When Maura pulled away, she was already rambling. "I know exactly where I'm going to put these. I have a patch near the north side that I can add specific soil to that will provide the optimal-"

"Maur wait, I was gonna ask you something else," Jane cut in before her friend could get carried away.

"Oh," Maura paused. "Sorry. What is it?"

"There's a Red Sox game on tonight, and Tommy really wants to go watch it on a big screen. We were gonna go to a sports bar in Riverside, if you wanna come with."

"W-what? Me? A bar?" Maura looked shocked. Jane laughed.

"Maura, you're 24, haven't you ever been to a bar?" The blonde shook her head, eyes wide with uncertainty.

"They have people. Rowdy people, who talk and...and sometimes flirt, and…"

"Hey," Jane said softly, cutting her friend off. "I'm not gonna let anyone bother you. You don't have anything to worry about. I'll be there, and Tommy will be there, and if you get real anxious we can go home whenever you want."

Maura looked unsure. "I don't know…"

"Please Maur," Jane asked, pouting just a little bit. "I know you understand the game now, Tommy said you were spouting off statistics like a radio announcer."

Maura sighed. "Okay...but I'm not wearing one of your jerseys."

Jane smirked. "We'll see about that."

Thank-you for reading! I've really appreciated the reviews I've gotten, and I'm always open for more feedback.

-Linbooks: Thank-you for your review and your feedback! This story is set a bit before show-aged Maura, so in my head, she's in the stage of her life where she was scared of "living humans", as she put it in the first episode. There will definitely be character development though, and you can expect to see her grow and learn.

-Jupiter: Thanks for the compliment! I'm glad you noticed Jane's "gentleness" as you put it. It's one of my favorite things about her in the show, that she is so tough, but softens for Maura.