Frankie:
There were benefits to being the first to arrive at the Dirty Robber. Most important, of course, was seat selection. Jane preferred the back table, with room for chairs to be added as more people joined them. Maura was more fond of the booths, their proximity leading to more intimate conversations. That was the last thing Frankie wanted. He was partial to the bar. The bartender was always there when he wanted a refill, the conversation flowed with ease, and he could smell the food being cooked in the kitchen.
Frankie chose a seat right in the middle, and draped his jacket over the seat directly to his left. As his friends arrived, they would save more seats, slowly taking the bar over and intimidating pair and single patrons, relegating them to the tables. Frankie signaled the bartender and rested his head on his hand, allowing the tension to leave his body as he slouched.
"Maura, I Googled it, and I am having one tomorrow morning!" Jane's voice carried with ease, announcing her arrival and piquing Frankie's interest.
The Doctor followed close behind, her honey hair flat from the rain. "Jane, you shouldn't get medical advice from Google. At least wait until your appointment on Monday."
"Don't make me wait until Monday, Maur, I have a headache now." Jane whined, shrugging off her wet jacket to save a seat. She sat at her brother's right, tapping the seat next to her for her friend to sit. "I need the caffeine boost."
This, along with so many other things, explained Jane's mood as of late. They had all been on edge after Frost's death, not sleeping, jumpy, out of sorts. Frankie couldn't imagine how his day would be without his morning cup of joe. "Why aren't you drinking caffeine, Jane?" Frankie asked, pulling his bottle of Busweiser closer to him.
"Can't sleep"
"Restless Leg Syndrome."
They answered in sync, as usual. But Maura's response made Jane whip her head around to face her best friend, her eyebrows pulled together in confusion as she mouthed words Frankie wasn't meant to hear. Maura blinked back at Jane in response, her mouth agape as she searched the detective's face.
"Yes. I haven't been sleeping because my legs won't rest. Maura told me that it might be caffeine, so I stopped drinking it." Jane's eyes searched his face, her face twisted as she tried to make her explanation make sense, but Maura's pained expression behind her told him it wasn't true. His sister turned back to face her best friend, her tone slightly harsh. "But I Googled it, and one cup of coffee should be fine for my legs."
Frankie held back a laugh. "You know, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." He played with the condensation on the side of his beer bottle as Jane shot him an apologetic look. Ignoring that, he instead focused his attention on the Doctor. "How are you doing, Maura?"
The Doctor flushed, her hands on the bar clenching and unclenching. "Good. Well, not good. But fine, you know, as fine as I can feel I guess. However fine is supposed to feel, that's how I am."
Jane's head fell to her hands as she listened, her groans audible. "You can just say, 'fine,' Maur, like normal people."
"I know." She took a breath. "I need to use the ladies room." The blonde pushed away from the bar, leaving her small purse on the table. "Excuse me."
As she made her way towards the back of the building, Jane gestured for the bartender. "Can I get a glass of wine for her, please? And just a water for me?" She turned her head towards her brother while the bartender prepared her order. "About how long do you think it will be for you two to start acting like normal human beings?"
"She told you?" His mind flashed back to their shared kiss, the impulsive one in Jane's hallway.
"Of course she told me," Jane pulled her glass toward her as she spoke, "and it wasn't easy to pull it out of her, either. What were you thinking?"
Frankie shrugged, his voice climbing in pitch. "I don't know! That she was pretty, and really smart, and Ma already likes her so we have that going for us! But then it happened and…" He flicked his fingers in the air, letting his shoulders fall, "nothing."
"Did you tell her that?" His sister's eyes were wide, but kind, her face soft with concern.
Korsak's gruff voice on the other side of him made him turn. "Tell her what?"
Taking a deep breath, Frankie looked ahead as he answered both questions. "Yes, I told Maura that the kiss meant nothing, that she was like a sister to me."
"You kissed Maura?" Korsak coughed out laughter as he plopped his wallet on the counter.
"Could everyone drop it? If we don't make it a big deal, things will go back to normal quicker." He held his hands up in surrender as he spoke, Korsak still chuckling next to him.
"God, I hope so." Jane laughed before taking a sip of her water. "Because this awkwardness is painful to watch."
Almost on cue, the Doctor returned to the table. "Who ordered the wine?"
Jane pushed it toward her friend. "I did. You're welcome."
"You're not drinking tonight, Jane?" Korsak asked the question Frankie hadn't, leaning forward so he could see his partner.
Jane's face tightened as she turned to face him. "No. It's my restless legs. That makes me designated driver tonight."
Maura gave out a yelp of excitement. "Does this mean I can have a second glass of wine?"
Jane laughed. "Oh, living dangerously, I see."
"Danger is my middle name." Her voice lowered as she brought her glass to her mouth, taking a sip as she raised her eyebrows seductively.
This made Jane laugh through her nose, a genuine smile on her face. "Yes, Maura Dorthea Danger Isles. It has a great ring to it."
"Dorthea?" Korsak began to chuckle, bringing his beer to his lips, and Frankie couldn't help but follow along.
Maura's voice was difficult to hear over the two of them. "It means, 'God's gift'." She shrugged off the laughter with a sip of her wine, her hand reaching for a menu to read.
Jane, on the other hand, was more forceful. "Knock it off, before I tell everyone your middle names." She fixed her gaze on Frankie first, then Korsak, before turning to look at the menu with Maura. Of course, she knew Frankie's, but he had no idea she knew Korsak's, too. Frankie shared a glance with the older officer, Korsak's blue eyes wide as he slowly shook his head from side to side. He swallowed what was left of his laughter with a swig of his beer.
"Maur, stop eating the plants!" His sister's voice cut through the room, drawing his eyes to Maura. She had a mischievous smile on her face, a small green leaf poised between her fingers which were raised to her mouth.
"I'm not eating it this time, just smelling." The Doctor held it out towards Jane. "Smell."
Jane took a moment, her eyes closed, nose scrunched up in disgust, before leaning in to take the bait. As she sniffed, her shoulders and face relaxed, "Minty." She pushed herself back slightly, grabbing the leaf and glancing at the menu in the doctor's other hand. "You know, I wish this place would stop changing so much. Every time I figure out what I like, there's a new menu."
Frankie reached for a menu over by Korsak, his eyes scanning the scratched text in the dark room. "I got this burger the other night when I came with Tommy. Sauteed mushrooms and onions, with some gravy I think. It wasn't bad. Definitely spring for the sweet potato fries. They're the perfect combo of sweet and salty."
"Thanks for the suggestion." Before she could look for the burger, she pulled away from Maura, her voice taking a stern tone as she faced her friend. "Speaking of Tommy! Should I be developing a complex, Dr. Isles?"
Hazel eyes narrowed as Maura tried to figure out where Jane was going. "A complex about what?"
"Why am I the only Rizzoli sibling you haven't kissed?" Korsak practically spat his drink out at his partner's question, and coughed as he choked on his laughter.
For a moment, it seemed as if the question Jane asked had rendered Maura speechless. But she soon began to giggle, her eyes wide as she raked them up and down Jane's body. "Never say never, Detective. Enough of these and you might be next." She punctuated her sentence with a sip of her drink.
Jane reached for the wine, her hand touching Maura's where the stem met the glass. "That's enough for you tonight."
"But you told me I can have two! Jane!" Maura's eyes grew wide as she gently tugged her drink back, the hint of a smile on her pouty face.
"Fine," Jane relented, letting go of the wine glass, "but you better keep your hands to yourself on the ride home."
"No promises."
The words were just out of the doctor's mouth when Jane took the wine glass and pushed it well past Frankie, so it sat in front of her partner. She began waving down the bartender, her arm outstretched as Maura tried to pull it back. "Excuse me, you're gonna have to cut her off."
"Jane!" The two women laughed as the bartender gave them a knowing smile before turning back to his other customers. Frankie had to push himself back from the bar as Jane reached past him to return her friend's beverage. Frankie watched as Jane dropped her shoulder allowing herself to move in closer to Maura while they studied the menu. They fit together like the space was meant to be occupied by them, and them alone.
You and Maura, you don't match. His younger brother had woven his fingers together to illustrate his point, but they had been interrupted before that could finish their conversation. He'd never admit to Tommy that he had been right. Maura was like his sister, the kiss had been weird. They didn't match. She didn't match with Jane, either. Jane's brash demeanor was met with Maura's tact. The tough persona that helped Jane beat him in wrestling matches was complimented by Maura's compassion. Jane's charisma helped break Maura out of her shell. No, they didn't match. But their differences complimented each other perfectly.
"It's too bad Maura's not a guy."
It took Korsak a while to figure out what the younger Rizzoli was talking about. He caught on eventually, watching as the two women had their own conversation unaware of the room around them. "Does that matter?"
Frankie was surprised to see the judgement in the older man's eyes. "Of course not!" It came out louder than he wanted, and he had to check to make sure his sister didn't know they were talking about her. When Jane hadn't flinched, he continued, in hushed tones. "Jane's just only liked guys, you know? If Maura was a guy, they'd be perfect together."
"Or maybe they'd still just be friends. Maybe nothing would be different." The Sergeant looked past Frankie at his partner, and flashed a knowing smile. "But I always thought there was something more between them." He laughed at the amused look Frankie shot him, pausing for a moment to take a sip of his drink. "Frost told me to look at it like a spectrum. His mother dated men exclusively until she met Robin. He said their love blossomed slowly. That's how I think it will go with those two."
Frankie sat for a moment with those words, trying to ignore that feeling of loss. It would have been nice to have these types of conversations with Frost. "So, Frost saw something there too." Korsak nodded in the affirmative. "How late am I to this party?"
The older cop chuckled, shaking his head. "Years."
"You didn't think to fill me in?"
"You would have figured it out. I'll give you credit where credit is due, I always thought you'd be shocked when they told you."
This made Frankie laugh. "I'm not that clueless."
Korsak pointed down the end of the bar, where a young woman with loose red curls turned her head to look away. "That girl has been checking you out all night long."
"She's all the way down there! How do you expect me to notice her?" Frankie stole another peek, the woman's face obscured as she played on her phone.
A raspy voice spoke up from his right. "Are you talking about the girl who's been checking you out? Took you long enough." His sister laughed along with Maura, who was flagging down the bartender. For a moment, Frankie worried she would be upset about his conversation with Korsak, but the fact that she wasn't berating him just proved that she hadn't been paying much attention either. "Frankie wouldn't know romance if it bit him in the ass."
Frankie turned to the older man, taking care to keep his voice low. "Hypocrite much?" Korsak could only laugh, his shoulders heaving as he shook his head.
The bartender finally made his way down towards Maura, white towel grasped in his hand. "We're going to share an order if the sweet potato fries."
"Also, She needs another glass of wine. And send a drink down to the woman who's been checking my brother out."
The bartender smiled as he wrote it all down. "The redhead?"
Frankie threw his hands up in annoyance. "Him too?"
This made everyone at their end of the bar laugh, making Frankie's cheeks flush. Through it all, Jane encouraged him, pushing him off the stool and urging him to go talk to her. "She's cute! Go have fun. Just remember, you owe me."
"Alright, alright." He gathered his jacket and left cash on the bar top for his beer. "Thanks, Janie." As he squeezed her arm before heading toward the redhead waiting for him, he wondered how he could repay his sister. He glanced at Maura. The Doctor was looking at her friend, a soft smile on her lips. Someday, somehow, he would give Jane the nudge she needed.
