A/N: Once I realized that Angela Montenegro and Angela Rizzoli have, well, the same first name, I decided to refer to Ma Rizzoli as simply Ma to avoid confusion.

It was nearly 6:00 when Jane pulled up to Maura's house, still dressed in the clothes she'd had on all day yesterday and starting to smell the worse for it. She ought to have just enough time to freshen up before Tommy's surprise birthday dinner, even though all she really wanted to do was sleep for two days straight. The front door was unlocked, so Jane let herself in. She had to smile to herself—Tommy would've been more at home with a decked-out bar, but Maura had really outdone herself this time. The table was set impeccably, and there was a fresh pine scent that told Jane everything had been cleaned recently.

"Hello?" she called out. "Maura? Ma?"

"In here!" came a voice from the direction of Maura's bedroom.

Figuring that Maura was doing some last minute gift wrapping, Jane walked into the bedroom. She was met with the sight of the very nude Dr. Isles, the only thing blocking Jane's view of her body being a dark red dress that she was holding up against herself.

"Geez, Maura!" Jane almost yelled, averting her gaze at once.

Ignoring Jane's discomfort, Maura said, "You've arrived just in time—I'm trying to decide what to wear…"

"Yes, I can see that. Anything will do, Maura."

"Well if you want to be technical about it, yes, I suppose it would," Maura said. "But I want to wear something special tonight."

"What? Why?"

"For Tommy's birthday. He deserves to see me in something nice, don't you think?"

"N—why? Maura, I told you before to please stay away from my brother!"

"I know, and I have," Maura said, stepping into her close to select another dress. "However, you don't seem to have told him to stay away from me, and I can't stop him from doing so."

Jane crossed over to the bathroom, painfully conscious of the fact that Maura's naked body was visible from the corner of her eye. "You could if you tried wearing a monk's outfit."

"I don't think I've got anything that falls into that category…"

"Look, can I borrow your shower?"

"Of course."

"Great. And when I'm done, I'd love to see you in something modest."

Maura only laughed before Jane closed the door of the bathroom. Normally she preferred hot showers, but Jane forced herself to stay put underneath an icy jet. She really needed to cool down. Catching sight of Maura's exposed body—even partially—had made her body temperature skyrocket so high, she might have just been running in ninety-degree weather. It also burned her up to think of Maura dressing to please Tommy, and she didn't know if she'd be able to handle it if he tried flirting with the doctor in front of her. Birthday boy or not, anything offensively overt could land him in the E.R.

All these emotions made her feel unbelievably guilty. Could she blame Tommy if he expressed an interest in Maura Isles? It wasn't either of their faults. Sometimes, though, Jane had to wonder if anyone was onto her. They all knew she was gay, of course, but she had never told anybody but Booth (safely in D.C.) that she'd been crushing hard on Maura. She had refrained from any flirtation, determined to act casual and be cool just being friends. It had only taken one devastatingly horrible experience with a straight woman to convince Jane never to go there again, no matter how badly she wanted it. Why put herself through that pointless pain? Thank goodness Maura was brilliant at everything but basic human interaction. Otherwise, she would've been sure to notice how Jane felt about her.

Fifteen minutes later, Jane was out of the shower and dressed in a V-neck and slacks. She'd planned on just wearing a T-shirt and jeans, but seeing how fancy Maura had made the place, she figured she owed it to her and Tommy to appear nice.

Of course Maura could always be expected to rise above and beyond the call of duty. When Jane walked back into the living room, she was greeted by her friend wearing a tight, emerald silk dress that flaunted her every beautiful physical trait (of which there were many):

"Well, what do you think?" Maura asked, holding her arms up a little.

Jane couldn't think of a single thing to say. She had yet to encounter a Maura Isles who looked anything less than gorgeous, even if she was in yoga pants. Every compliment that could be given had already been uttered at some point in their friendship and they all sounded inane in Jane's head right now anyway. What do I think? Nothing. I can only wish—I wish you were dressed like this for me, and not my brother…

Before she had a chance to say anything, her mother burst into the room with Korsak, Frankie and Frost, each of them holding a serving plate bursting with food. "Doesn't Maura look beautiful?" Ma asked, setting down her plate and pinching the doctor's cheek. "Such a lady! And offering to host this party!"

"It's my pleasure, really."

Frost was about to ask Jane about D.C. when the doorbell rang. Ma instructed everyone to take their seats at the table while Maura went to answer it. Jane strained in vain to hear the words Tommy and Maura were exchanging at the door; whatever their conversation was about, it didn't last long because they entered the dining room a moment later. It was only now that Jane realized this was a surprise birthday dinner, a conclusion she reached when everyone but her yelled "SURPRISE!" and Tommy's face dropped into an open-mouth grin.

The food and the company was wonderful, and Jane found herself wondering what it would be like to just have a normal career and be able to enjoy these sorts of situations all the time. Girlfriends had come and gone, usually leaving because they couldn't handle Jane's job. There was always that possibility of a call from the hospital, a sense that every hello or goodbye could theoretically be their last. Jane didn't approach it that way anymore, but too many women did, scared that she was flirting with death every day. It would be so nice to be something boring and normal, if only because it meant she wouldn't always having this nagging feeling in the back of her mind that she would never find a life companion because nobody would be able to handle what it meant to be with her. Wasn't that one of the reasons Booth had never married Parker's mother?

There was only one downside to the dinner, which was the fact that Tommy couldn't keep his eyes off Maura—and it became increasingly apparent the more he was allowed to drink. He had been abstaining from alcohol lately, but Ma insisted his birthday was a special occasion and he was only too happy to follow this train of thought. Once everyone had finished eating (including the magnificent three-layer cake, courtesy of Ma Rizzoli), the lot of them went outside to sit on Maura's porch for some wine—except Jane and Tommy, who stuck with beer. Frost, Korsak and Frankie were discussing Frankie's upcoming test to be a detective while Maura and her longtime houseguest had a fervent debate about the most recent Project Runway elimination (something they had tried and failed several times to get Jane into). This left the detective on the side with Tommy.

"I gotta say, this birthday sure beats the last one," he chuckled. Jane waited for him to go on. He had never told her much about his experience in prison, and she'd never wanted to pry. Instead of talking about it though, he said, "Only… don't get me wrong, I'm glad you guys all came over, but I'm a little disappointed. I mean, when Maura invited me over, I thought it was just going to be her and me."

Jane couldn't think of a response and only took a swig of beer with a passive "mm."

Tommy was watching her for a reaction, for permission. "I mean, she's pretty amazing, don't you think?" he whispered. When this elicited no response, he grinned and gave Jane's shoulder a playful slap. "She's hot, right?"

"Don't say that," Jane said tersely, swatting his hand away.

"Don't say what?"

"I mean don't talk about her that way."

"Wh—it's a compliment, Jane!"

"I know, I just…don't."

They both drank in silence for a moment, grateful that their last conversation had been quiet enough that nobody else was paying any attention. "You don't… like Maura, do you?" Tommy asked.

Jane's answer was quick, but not so defensive that Tommy might read something into it. "Of course not. Maybe when I first met her, you know, 'cause she is beautiful, but not now, no. We're too good of friends, like sisters. Being with her would be like, incest or something." They both had a laugh over that. "Besides…"

Fortunately for Jane, this last word was drowned out by an uproar of laughter from the other side of the porch. Frost and Frankie were in hysterics, and eventually Tommy and Jane were able to gather that it was because a somewhat drunken Korsak had joined Maura and Ma's conversation about Project Runway and was throwing in his two cents about why Anthony Ryan should never have been eliminated. This effectively brought an end to the sub-groups, and everybody brought their chairs closer to talk.

Around 11:00, Korsak stood up to leave.

"Wait," said Frankie. "Don't you wanna stick around for Tommy's birthday punches?"

"Oh, you little barbarian!" Ma laughed. "Don't do that, it's so mean!" But she was ignored, and Frankie and Frost stood on either side of Tommy, each punching one of his shoulders as Korsak kept count.

When they had finished, Tommy flexed his arms and moaned, "Great! I won't be able to use either of these for a week!"

"I still think it's mean," Ma said. "Why couldn't it be something friendlier? Like birthday kisses?"

Frost stared at her. "Hm…no thanks."

Maura set down her wine glass, a little more tipsy than she usually let herself get. "Well, I think it's a lovely idea." To a couple of cat calls from the boys, she settled herself on Tommy's lap and gave him what would've theoretically been the first of thirty-eight kisses on his cheek. But before she could really get going, he put his arms around her and gave her an exaggerated kiss on the mouth. Everybody (including Ma) clapped and whistled, meaning they were all distracted from noticing Jane's face.

Not that they would've been able to tell quite what it was expressing, anyway: it was a combination of anger, extreme exhaustion, and devastation. The kiss seemed to go on for several minutes, though in reality it was probably less than about five seconds. It didn't matter; all Jane could childishly think about was that another Rizzoli had beaten her to it. Not that I had a chance anyway.

"Korsak, want to split a cab?" Jane asked, standing abruptly.

"Oh, stay," Maura said, still sitting on Tommy's lap with her arms around his neck. "Your mother and brother are going to be here, so you might as well."

"Yeah, I'll get a cab with you, Korsak," said Frost, getting to his feet and still chuckling. "Frankie?"

Frankie hesitated, waiting for an invitation from Maura as well, but there was only an awkward pause. He sighed in defeat, and after thanking the doctor and his mother for a fun time, left with the guys. Maura and Ma soon followed, heading inside to start cleaning up. Tommy was grinning like a fool, and Jane was reminded of the way he used to act when he drank as a teenager: stupid smile and stupider comments were a staple. They now stood facing each other, and Jane was only slightly aware that she was trembling in jealousy, even though she had no right to be envious.

"Rizzoli sleepover!" Tommy laughed. "I guess you can stay with Ma in the guest house. Seems like Maura wants to see me in my birthday suit."

A calm, not drunken, not tired-from-lack-of-sleep Jane would have only chided Tommy for such a crude comment towards her friend, but Lady Luck was not on the man's side tonight. He had been expecting a high-five, and got one—to the face. It dawned on him that he had never been slapped, even by Jane. Growing up, her route had always been to kick him under the table or punch him in the gut. But his comment just now had roused such anger out of her that a slap was the only thing she could think of to articulate her rage. Well, initially anyway: she soon had grabbed two fistfuls of his dress shirt and pinned him against the outside wall of Maura's house.

"You touch her and I swear," she muttered, her voice at a dangerously low pitch. "They will never find your body."

"Whoa, sis, calm down!" Tommy laughed. "I'm just playing around!"

"You do not play around with Maura Isles, Tommy!" she growled. "And you will not ever let me hear you say something so vulgar about her again!"

By this point he'd already forgotten what he'd said, but he knew Jane well enough to know when she was serious about killing him. He quickly called a truce, and Jane let go of him, struck with a belated onset of embarrassment and desire for self-control. Still, she told him in no uncertain terms that he would be sharing the guest house with their mother for the night, and much though he'd hate to admit it, he was too intimidated by her to dare cross her. The two of them went inside to discover that their mother had already fallen asleep, slumped over a half-cleared table. Bidding goodnight to Maura, Tommy picked up his fatigued/slightly wasted mother and carried her to the guest house.

"Do you think he'll be coming back?" Maura asked, biting her lip.

"No," Jane said curtly. "You should go to bed, Maura, it's late. We'll take care of all this mess tomorrow."

Maura frowned at Jane's tone, and looked on as the detective threw herself down on to the couch. "Please don't be upset with him," she said.

"For what?" Jane groaned, screwing her eyes shut and rubbing them with her hands.

"For kissing me. It was just a laugh—besides, he's been having a tough time lately; needed something to lift his spirits."

That's not all he wanted lifted, Jane thought to herself as Maura walked towards her bedroom. She was not about to let such a crude comment escape her (especially after threatening Tommy for doing the same thing), but she couldn't keep herself from asking, "Did you like it?"

Half-turning at the doorway, Maura said, "It would have been more enjoyable had we been sober, I think." And with a "goodnight," she had shut the door.

It felt like only a few minutes of sleep had passed when Jane was woken up by something prodding her feet. Groggily opening her eyes, she jumped and let out a yell when she saw Bass at the base of the couch, staring at her. She toppled onto the floor, managing to take the coffee table down with her. In a flash, Maura came running out from her bedroom, dressed in a blue silk robe and wielding a golden, two-foot trophy.

"Jane! What happened?"

"Your turtle got the drop on me," Jane grumbled, making her way back onto the couch and feeling a tad stupid.

"Tortoise," Maura corrected her, joining her on the couch.

Jane caught a glimpse of the trophy in Maura's hands and snorted a laugh. "What the hell's that?"

Maura chuckled and held up the trophy with faux pride. "I won it at boarding school for a science project I did on radioactivity. I suppose you think it's silly to have held onto it for so long, but I guess I'm just sentimental. Besides," she said, pretending to take a swing at Jane's head. "It's handy to keep nearby in case I need to fight someone off."

"You were going to attack someone with that?" Jane asked.

"If you were being attacked, of course. You're my houseguest. I would be a poor hostess if I could tell you were being threatened and I did nothing about it." She patted her tortoise on the head. "Bass, of course, is another story." Maura smiled as Jane just laughed to herself, trying not to imagine a scenario where Maura might have actually come to her rescue. It was kind of cute, though… her, Jane, being the damsel in distress while Maura came to save her with an old high school trophy. Her thoughts were interrupted when Maura said, "So we never got a chance to really speak last night about your trip. How was D.C.?"

Jane stretched and shrugged. "Not bad. Some parts were better than others."

"How's your father?"

"Bored. I don't know why he's with this woman, Maura."

"I believe it's what you might refer to as a rebound."

Groaning into her hands, Jane said, "Yeah, I guess. And she had an amazing rack." She coughed and looked at Maura, forcing her eyes to meet the doctors and not picture what was beneath that robe. "Sorry."

"Don't apologize, I understand how that could be a factor in your father selecting a partner. Although your mother—"

"NO, Maura. No," Jane mumbled. "The woman is nice, but I can't picture him actually staying with her. It's too bad," she sighed. "It would've been nice to have an excuse to go out to D.C. now and then."

"So I'm guessing you got to meet your friend?"

"Booth, yeah." Jane ran a tired hand through messy hair with a grand sigh, having no idea how attractive it made her look to a certain doctor. "Every time I see him, it's like I can't believe we don't see more of each other. He's a really awesome guy, Maura, I could use ten friends like him. I just don't know anybody like him, you know? There must be a word for what we are…"

Maura grinned. "I'm still your BFF, right?"

Jane smiled back. "Oh, of course. But there's something special about Booth, I dunno. We go years without seeing each other, but then as soon as we do, we're just sitting there at the bar like we hang out every day …I told him stuff I haven't told anyone else …I just felt so safe."

It was at this moment that Maura finally realized her feelings for Jane weren't totally platonic. While they might not have been exactly romantic, either, there was something a little odd about the jealousy she was experiencing right now. What had Jane told this Booth guy that she had never confided in her alleged best friend? What sort of things could they talk about so easily, so comfortably, after having gone so long without seeing one another? Jane's sexuality made it impossible for there to be any attraction between them, so what hold did she have on Booth? But most puzzlingly of all, Maura had to ask herself why she cared so much. It was nice that Jane had a friend like this to talk to, that there was someone in the army she liked.

"I got to meet some of his friends," Jane said, bringing Maura out of her confused reverie. "The people he works with. They were pretty cool, we watched some Godzilla movies and ate pizza."

"That sounds like fun!"

"You think so? I wouldn't peg you for the Godzilla type."

"On the contrary! I think the science fiction genre is uniquely suited to reflect culture in a way that no other films are. It's fascinating. Godzilla is an allegory for the after-effects of atomic warfare in Japan."

"You're incredible!" Jane laughed, not aware that Brennan had given an almost identical run-down of the movie as she continued: "There's this woman Booth is hung up on, and she reminded me so much of you."

"Oh, really? How so?"

"You know. Brilliant, beautiful scientist." Years of practice had given Jane the ability to compliment a girl she liked without blushing, but she stood quickly anyway. "And quirky, too."

Maura stood as well. "Quirky? I've learned that's your not-so-polite way of calling me socially awkward." Jane only responded with a low chuckle, and began stacking dishes on the table. "You don't have to do that," Maura said, walking over and putting her hand on Jane's arm.

"I know," Jane said. "But you didn't have to put together this dinner for Tommy, either. It was nice of you."

"Anything for my Rizzoli's!"

Slowly withdrawing her arm, Jane turned away. Sometimes Maura made it too easy—did she really have no idea how much innuendo she spouted at Jane on a daily basis? After an awkward pause, Jane heard her phone go off. She hurried over to the couch and fished it out of the pocket of her jacket, which had been tossed onto the floor. "Rizzoli. …okay… yup, on my way." She straightened up and stared at Maura, who then ran back to her bedroom to get her own ringing phone.

On her return, she said, "We ought to leave your mother and Tommy a note; I doubt they'll be up for a couple of hours."

"Sure." Gesturing to the living and dining room, Jane added, "Then they can clean up all this crap while we go clean up a…" She was too tired and still a little too hung over to come up with something clever, and Maura had raised an eyebrow. "Never mind. Write a note, get dressed and let's go."

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review; those really help inspire me to keep going. Also, check out my profile for a link to some Rizzles youtube videos :) Gotta love those two- it can't just stop at fanfiction!