I'd never thought I'd end up writing anything else for this, but somebody mentioned something to me the other night and I had something just kinda fall into place in my head. It's all just gone from there. I hope you enjoy this. :)

Things you said at 1am

Maura stood in the doorway of the squad room and observed the tall, thin woman who had so quickly become her best friend.

Tacked against the evidence board were several pictures and Jane stood there, chewing on her left thumbnail with her right arm folded across her middle, while she stared intently at the photographs before her.

Watching Jane at work over the last several months always fascinated the medical examiner. Jane's intense concentration during a case rivaled her own and Maura loved that about Jane. God did she love that.

"Jane," Maura said quietly.

The unexpected voice startled Jane and her head whipped around toward the squad room entrance. "God, Maura, you scared the shit out of me!"

Brow furrowing, Maura squinted at her friend briefly before she deadpanned, "Do you need a change of underwear?"

Immediately Jane chortled as she turned to face Maura, placing her hands on her hips. "That was a good one."

With a smile, Maura replied, "I'm learning from the best."

The smile was returned. "What's up?"

"I've got the results from the fingerprint analysis," Maura said. "Doesn't match anything in the database."

Jane's shoulders dropped and she groaned, eyes rolling. "Seriously? So I'm back to no leads?" She gritted her teeth briefly. "Dammit!"

Maura gave her a sympathetic smile. When Jane turned and went back to her desk, Maura quickly followed behind. "I'm sorry. I feel like I haven't helped you at all." She perched her right hip against Jane's desk.

Elbows on her desk and head in her hands, Jane simply said, "No, you have, but I just don't know how yet. Everything you do always helps somehow." She sat up and her arms folder over each other on her desk. She looked at her best friend.

"You're going to be here all night now, aren't you?" The dark blonde sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What else am I supposed to do?" Exasperation filled the question.

"Go home and sleep?" Maura suggested.

Without hesitation, Jane countered, "You know I can't sleep when I get stuck like this."

"You don't even try, Jane." Her expression was a strange mix of concern and annoyance.

"I've been a detective for over 10 years, Maura. I know how my brain works during cases."

Biting the inside of her cheek briefly, Maura quickly considered the potential outcomes of what she was about to say. She decided to say it anyway. "If you'd join me for yoga or meditation, you could help resolve that problem."

The detective's eyes closed and she breathed out harshly through her nose. "Maura." She reopened her eyes to meet her best friend's hazel ones.

Arms unfolded and hands shot up in surrender. "Fine. Then how can I help you right now? Tell me something I can do."

With a push back from her desk, Jane stood and reached for her blazer. As she began putting it on, she said, "Let's go to the diner."

Maura stood up properly and shook her head with a small smile. "What is it with you and that diner in the middle of the night during a tough case?"

Jane bit her lip for not even a second.

Her friend still noticed the hesitation. "What?"

Sheepishly Jane quietly said, "Well, I've always kinda thought that was the night we became friends, so I guess maybe it's like a good luck thing now."

The confession caused Maura's stomach to flutter and she simply smiled. "Am I allowed to get decaf this time?"

Jane smirked. "Only if you don't wanna be friends anymore."

"So, you didn't find a match in the national database." Jane took a sip of her coffee.

Maura shook her head.

"So the suspect has no prior convictions." She squinted at Maura across the booth, thinking hard. "Which means this is either a first timer or someone who just hasn't gotten caught yet."

With a shrug, Maura took a sip of her peppermint tea, both hands lifting the cup to her lips. "Based on my findings on the body and the evidence we've collected, I'm more inclined to think that it's a first time murder."

"Yeah, yeah, because things were a little sloppy." Jane clenched her jaw. "Which pisses me off because why haven't we found something? What the hell am I missing?"

The questions were rhetorical and Maura knew it. "We'll find something, Jane," she said quietly, setting her cup back down on the table, hands still clutching it.

"I hope so."

Looking across the table from her, the dark honey blonde saw so many things. Where she normally saw confidence and what Jane would describe as swagger, Maura instead saw defeat and doubt, but underneath those lingering auras, Maura saw so much more. After a moment she asked, "Do you remember the conversation we had that night we first had coffee?"

Squinting in concentration, Jane was silent for a moment before she chuckled lowly. "Yeah, actually. We talked about observations about each other and I told you what I'd noticed about you so far."

Maura smiled when Jane's dark eyes met hers again.

A smirk tugged at the corner of the detective's lips. "I made you cry."

The smile turned into chortling.

"But because you're you, you didn't want to tell me yours." The dark-haired brunette couldn't help but smile at the memories. "I'd almost convinced you to tell me when I got a message from Frost because he'd found a lead."

"You solved the case two days later because of that lead." Maura took another sip of her tea and just as the cup left her lips, she added, "I was very happy for you. Proud of you too."

As usual, Jane diverted her gaze from Maura's, not wanting to take the praise she so frequently received, especially from her best friend.

Maura set her teacup down and folded her arms in front of her on the table. "Do you want to know what my observations are about you?"

Leaning back in the booth, the brunette folded her arms across her middle. "Knock yourself out."

The expression confused Maura.

"Yeah, go ahead," Jane clarified.

"When I look at you, I see a brilliant detective, arguably the most brilliant I've ever encountered." Maura could see Jane swallow nervously. "I think you are more dedicated to finding justice than anyone I know."

Jane looked down at her coffee, which was no longer steaming.

"You're a loyal daughter and a protective sister. You love deeply and laugh fully."

Clearing her throat, Jane forced herself to look back up.

"I also see a drop-dead gorgeous woman."

Immediately Jane held her hand up to protest.

"No, you are gorgeous. Just accept it." Maura smiled. "I also see a best friend. My best friend. The only one I've ever had and the only one I ever want to have."

Jane took a deep breath.

"Do you want to know what else I think?" Maura swallowed hard.

"I'm not sure, but I'm betting you're gonna tell me anyway," Jane joked.

Every single day Maura thanked whatever forces existed within the universe for bringing Jane Rizzoli into her life and that was what gave her the courage to continue speaking.

"I think I'm falling in love with you."