A/N: Hey guys! Hope everyone had a safe and happy start to the new year. Also, Daria fans might recognize the exchange of dialogue that inspired this ficlet. (featuring Quinn and my other favorite Jane besides Rizzoli.)

With nosy parents and two loud younger brothers who seemed to ricochet off the walls, it wasn't often that Jane had the house to herself. As much as she privately wished she could make more friends at school, she was not averse to the idea of being left alone at home in her own space. Even if it was New Year's Eve, and even if people would think she was a loser for hanging out in her basement by herself, she didn't care. She'd rather be on her own, anyway.

Then … who was knocking on the front door?

Her parents were with a group of their friends. Frankie was at what he insisted was a well-chaperoned party at his girlfriend's place. Tommy and some of his pals were going to a late-night showing of some old disaster movie. Jane had told them all she was going to a get-together at Frost's, which had been her original plan until she'd learned her archenemy, Emily Thompson, would be in attendance as well. Apparently Emily's boyfriend was on the wrestling team with Frost, and they were good friends, nabbing him and his girlfriend an invitation.

When Frost realized this meant Jane wouldn't want to go, he offered to un-invite his teammate, but Jane just shrugged him off and said she'd tag along with Frankie.

Who cares. Next year everyone will be away at college and we'll all be too mature to bother thinking about who was at whose party and who likes being alone… right?

She'd spent the last three years building a very aloof, cool image. It was common knowledge that she dated girls, and while she got more guff for it than she'd have liked, she also found herself often approached by curious and aroused classmates. Nobody ever seemed to stick, though, and after a bad fallout with a sophomore the previous year, Jane had built up a heavy aversion to anything that hinted of experimentation. Somehow her cagey attitude combined with her laid-back fashion sense and unruly curls attracted more girls than she knew what to do with.

Frankie had shrugged and attributed it to the "bad boy" image that seemed to be so popular. (Many people wondered how such an affable, happy-go-lucky boy could be related to Jane.) It was behavior Tommy tried and failed to emulate, tired of bringing home girls who seemed more interested in his big sister than him.

Incidentally, that was one of them knocking at the door now, though the girl was yet to know that.

Jane had been flipping stations as she waited for a pizza she'd called in. But they'd said to expect thirty minutes, and it had only been about fifteen. Who could it be? Warily, she headed back up the stairs, opening the front door and unable to hide her confusion.

It was some girl Tommy had been seeing a lot of lately—as a friend and nothing more, to his great disappointment. Laura? Nora? No, it was something a little less common that that… Maura. She was petite and startlingly pretty, although at the moment she looked nothing short of petrified.

"What are you doing here?" Jane asked.

Maura's eyes darted to her car, parked haphazardly outside the Rizzoli's house. "Um—I need to use your phone."

"What's wrong with yours?"

"Nothing." Maura took a deep breath, knowing that if she tried to keep that charade going any longer, she was going to start getting hives or faint. So she quickly reverted to her intent in coming here: "Can I spend the night?"

Jane didn't know whether to laugh or be annoyed. "Are you kidding?"

"My parents said I couldn't stay home alone."

"I won't say a word," Jane said calmly, trying to be cool and mess with this kid a bit. "I'll even spring for the keg. But you have to pay for the dry-cleaning."

Maura looked lost. "What?"

"Why aren't you at some party?"

"I don't like parties. They're too loud and I can't hear myself think and everyone gets drunk. Our maid was supposed to stay with me tonight, but her boyfriend got a furlough and came to surprise her and she said I should just go to a friend's house so she could be with him, which I thought made sense so I came here because Tommy said he wasn't planning on going to any parties, and I—"

"Yeah, Tommy's not going to any parties because he's with some loser friends at some dumb movie."

Maura looked disappointed and even more nervous. "Oh."

"Look, you… you're the science kid, right?" Jane asked, and Maura nodded. "Okay. So go home and talk to your science geek friends all night. Ask each other what element on the periodic table you would be and why."

"I'm sick of that game," Maura sighed.

Deciding not to comment on what sounded like a serious response, Jane realized, "You're afraid to go home."

"I am not!" Maura protested.

But that was one lie too many, and Jane hurried forward to catch Maura as she fainted. Jane held her there awkwardly, heart racing as she tried to figure out what to do. Nobody was waiting in Maura's car or on the sidewalk, and it seemed unlikely that this was some kind of prank. So, Jane backed into the house, slamming the door with her foot. Getting Maura to the couch would probably have been ideal, but strong as Jane considered herself, she didn't have the upper body strength required to pick the girl up and move her there. Dragging her didn't seem like a good idea either, so Jane did her best to gently lay Maura down on the carpet.

"Hey. Hey, kid. Maura."

She gave Maura's cheek a light slap (if you could call it that), and watched Maura's chest to make sure she was breathing. Her collar looked tight, and Jane undid the top few buttons of Maura's fancy shirt. Was there anything else she was supposed to do? She gave Maura's body a good looking-over, in case there was something else that might be making it difficult for her to breathe. Her belt, maybe?

But before Jane could ponder the possible indecency of this, Maura blinked her eyes open, and tried to sit up. For a moment she appeared disoriented, as if not sure where she was or how she'd gotten there, and Jane wasn't particularly a natural as a comforting nurse.

Sitting by Maura's side, Jane had swiveled one leg up to her chest and put an arm around it, ever attempting to look casual. "Geez," she muttered. "Most girls don't faint in this house until after they've kissed me. What happened to you?"

Jane's remark just deepened the blush that had already been forming on Maura's face. She lay her head back down on the carpet. "I told a lie."

"So…what, you faint every time you lie?" Jane sniggered. "That sucks!"

"Yes and no. Sometimes honesty is the best policy, and this forces me to remember that."

"How come it didn't work here, then?"

Well, dodging the truth again certainly wasn't going to help here. "Because I didn't want you to think I was afraid. Tommy says you're not afraid of anything."

Maura averted her eyes from the ceiling for a glimpse at Jane, and even from this angle she could make out a smug grin. "He's right about that, for sure." The cockiness faded as Jane looked down to see Maura's still-clearly-nervous expression. "What's got you so spooked, anyway?"

"I don't know. Just my mind playing tricks on me, I guess. I mean, my imagination going into hyperdrive. When our maid called to see if I'd be all right somewhere else, I thought I would be. I thought I'd be fine to stay at home, actually, but I started thinking of how crime rates are increased at this time of year and even though I turned on every light in the house I thought maybe burglars would be suspicious because there wouldn't be a line of cars out front if there was a party, and they'd realize maybe a teenage girl was all by herself in that big house, so I drove to my best friend Susie's house—" (she had earned the qualifier by being the only girl Maura felt comfortable teaming up with for gym class) "—but I forgot her family's out of town for the holiday, and I knew Tommy lived nearby, so I came over here. My parents went to a friend's cabin and won't be getting back until tomorrow, and I guess I just hoped that I…" She was rambling and she knew it, and furthermore knew it was presumptuous to have thought she could unobtrusively spend the night in the house. "Never mind," she mumbled, starting to sit up. "I'll go."

Jane pressed on her shoulder, putting her back on the floor. "Hey, no. It's cool. I mean, you should at least stay here until you've recovered a bit."

"From that? It happens all the time. I'm fine."

"All the time, huh?" Jane asked, smirking. "So you at least try to lie a lot."

"'All the time' is an exaggeration," Maura sighed. "You needn't treat me like an invalid."

"'Needn't'?" Jane laughed. "Geez, I don't think I've heard that phrase since my great-grandmother last came to visit." This definitely wasn't winning her any points, and as Maura scowled and once again shifted to sit up, Jane hastily said, "Look. I'm sorry. I can understand being freaked spending a night in a big house by yourself. You can… if you want, you can stay here." Worried that the moment was becoming too sincere, Jane smirked again and said, "All the criminals in this neighborhood know to steer clear of this place, 'cause of me. Anyone tries to break in? Don't worry. I'll protect you."

Maura smiled gratefully and a few moments later, with Jane's help, got to her feet. Jane directed her towards a bathroom, and while she was gone, Jane pulled out her phone to text Tommy. But almost immediately, she thought better of it. She had already decided she didn't want to spend New Year's Eve alone anymore. But that definitely didn't mean she wanted to have Tommy and all his horny friends coming back here, ruining the evening.

"Hey um, whenever you're done, I'll be in the basement," Jane told Maura through the bathroom door. "Stairs are at the end of the hall."

She had settled on the sci-fi channel and gotten through a few incredibly stupid commercials before Maura tentatively came downstairs. There was only one couch, which Jane's considerably tall figure was already taking up a lot of. When Maura appeared, she shifted into a sitting position.

"Oh, don't move for me," Maura said. "You were all comfortable, and…"

"It's fine, don't sweat it. There's plenty of space here, just sit down."

Maura looked unsure, but when the last commercial gave way to The Twilight Zone, she smiled wide and immediately went to the couch. "Oh! I love this episode!"

"You a sci-fi fan?"

"Oh, yes!"

"Huh. Weird. I'd have pegged you for more of like a…I don't know, a History channel or Discovery kind of person."

"Well, I do enjoy both of those, but that doesn't mean I can't get into sci-fi stuff, too. I really enjoy the unique social commentary it can provide when done well, and The Twilight Zone is of course the perfect example of it. And I love this one!"

"Ugh, really? It's not even creepy. I was just gonna say I thought it was kinda boring…"

"Aww, I love it!" Maura laughed. "I think it's sweet that it's just about these two people falling in love. A love story in the twilight zone."

"With Charles Bronson. That's pretty cool, I guess. My dad would be pleased."

They watched the rest of the episode without anymore discussion, and the next one had begun when the doorbell rang loud and long. Jane glanced at Maura and saw a nervous look pass over her face, briefly terrified at the prospect of socializing with any of Jane's friends.

"Don't worry," Jane mumbled, getting to her feet and stretching. "It's just some pizza I ordered. I got a big pie so my brothers could have some leftovers, but you're here, so I'll expect you to pull your weight and have some. If you want a drink or something though, you gotta come up 'cause I'm not carrying all that down for you."

Maura hurried after Jane, going to the kitchen for some water as Jane headed to the front door. A loud expletive in a high-pitched voice reached Maura's ears, and she almost dropped the glass she had just gotten from the cupboard. A slapping sound soon followed, and she hurried out of the kitchen to see what was going on.

Jane heard her running, and held up a hand. "Don't worry, Maura. Just an old ex."

"What is this?!" the girl screeched. "You only go for underclassmen now, J?! You're such a creep!"

"For God's sake, Tiffany, it's none of your business what she's doing here!" Jane shouted, yanking the pizza box out of the delivery girl's hand and thrusting a twenty at her. "Keep the change and go buy yourself something nice, okay?"

"You think you're really hot stuff, don't you?" Tiffany asked, blocking the door when Jane tried to close it on her. "Well let me tell you something, Jane Rizzoli! Using girls with no consideration for their feelings is—"

"Get over it! We both agreed it wasn't gonna be anything serious!"

"And you believed me?!"

"YES!"

"You're an idiot and a liar and if you'd treated me decent, I'd have known this was your house when the order came in and I would've spat on your food!" she yelled, trying to pull the pizza box out of Jane's hands as if to make good on this sudden idea.

"Tiffany, just leave it!"

With a frustrated shout, Tiffany smashed the bottom of her fist against Jane's nose before turning on her heel and stomping away. Jane scowled and slammed the door shut with her free hand. The glare on her face was so intense that Maura took a step back, and Jane forced herself to calm her expression. Neither was sure how to proceed from there; Maura was certain that Jane's nose was damaged, but probably not so much as Jane's ego if she were to try addressing it right away. Jane wanted to try and downplay what had just happened, and with a quick roll of her shoulders, she did just that.

"Hope you like pepperoni," she said, opening the box to show its contents to Maura.

"I can't say I know, actually. I've never had pizza before."

She had said it casually enough that she wasn't expecting Jane to look at her like she'd just grown a second head. "Wh... how is that possible?"

Maura stared blankly back at her. "Theoretically, there are a lot of answers to that question."

Jane laughed and tromped back down to the basement. "Grab a Pepsi out of the fridge for me, would ya? Thanks."

In record time, Maura ate her way through four slices of pizza. Jane chose not to comment beyond expressing her gladness that Maura was enjoying it. Had Maura been aware of how much she'd eaten, she likely would've been embarrassed, but she was so drawn in by the shows they were watching and the happy, homey atmosphere of the Rizzoli's basement that she didn't notice. She and Jane were sitting on opposite sides of the couch, but both of them had their legs spread out on it, lying next to each other. Again, if Maura had been aware of it, she probably would've felt nervous and self-conscious. But the pizza and the heater and the glow of the TV had made her very comfortable and easily distracted.

At least, until Jane finally mentioned during a commercial break, "So I guess you were never one for Truth or Dare."

"Hm?"

"You know, the game? Truth or Dare?"

"How's it work?"

"Have you really never played it before? It's like… the only game allowed at all slumber parties ever, I think. Someone chooses somebody else from the group and they have to pick truth or dare. Then the first person asks them a question and they HAVE to tell the truth, or they HAVE to do whatever dare the person comes up with if they choose the dare. And there's no switching once you've chosen."

"That sounds awful," Maura chuckled.

"Yeah, once you get past the age of about seven, it can turn nasty pretty fast," Jane agreed. "Not like cruel, necessarily, but just… y'know, less innocent. Last time I was at a slumber party I was eleven or twelve, I think. Someone dared me to kiss Emily Thompson, and I did. I didn't wanna stop."

Her tone was flat and she was staring at the table in front of the TV. "Is… that when you…?" Maura tried to ask.

"Oh, I knew before then. That was just sort of an excuse to finally try acting on it, and um… I guess a lot of those girls figured it out, then. Anyway." She shrugged. "I wouldn't be a whole lot of fun to play that game with now, because I'm pretty much an open book at this point, too. Like you."

"I disagree, you're nothing like me at all," Maura said. "You're trying to cover, Jane. I can see it. If you were half has hard as you pretend to be, you'd have sent me home hours ago." Jane bit one of her nails, trying to look casual, but not arguing the point. "I'm not sure what you're trying to hide or why you think you need to act so tough, but it's not really my business."

"You're right, it's not," Jane muttered. Argh. She's a nice kid. Why are you being such a punk to her? Do something nice. "You've been staring at my nose ever since Tiffany hit it." So?

"So?"

"Why?"

"It must be hurting you."

"A bit," Jane admitted.

At that, Maura turned her attention away from the TV and towards Jane, who was already looking at her. Testing the bounds, Maura scooted a little further down the couch, hoping Jane might meet her halfway, but Jane remained firmly seated against the arm of the couch.

"Could've been a lot worse," Jane whispered, when Maura was within a few inches.

"She might've hit you someplace else?"

"No. If she knew my middle name, she might've thrown it in there while she was yelling. That's the mark of when someone is truly pissed at you!"

Maura smiled when she realized Jane was genuinely trying to amuse her, not being snarky. "I could pop your nose back into place for you."

"What? Are you serious?"

"Yes. I want to study medicine someday, and I've been an assistant over the summer to all sorts of healthcare professionals. I'm confident I can help you."

"Wow. Um…okay, if you really want to. Knock your socks off. Although you know I can't afford to pay you, right?"

Maura laughed again, and Jane found that she really enjoyed getting that sound to come out of her. "You could pay me in other ways," she suggested. It wasn't until Jane's eyebrows rose in impressed surprise that Maura realized how that sounded. "Um—I mean, I meant you could maybe tell me a secret. A truth."

"What about?"

"You could tell me your middle name."

"Aw, geez…"

"It can't be that bad! Come on, 'fess up or let your nose suffer."

Jane sighed through her nose, and winced. "Fine. But you have to promise not to laugh."

"I'll promise to try."

The honesty was adorable, and with her legs pulled up to her chest, Jane did her best embarrassed pout and said, "Clementine."

"Clementine?" Maura giggled. "Jane Clementine Rizzoli!"

"Okay, you can stop now."

"It's so cute!"

"Would you shut up and fix my nose, please?"

"Okay, okay. Hold still, it'll hurt a little," Maura said.

She awkwardly positioned herself so that her knees were on either side of Jane, trying not to lean too close to her as she held Jane's face steady. Jane was stunned by the professional precision in Maura's intense gaze as she lightly ran her finger down Jane's nose, searching for the right spot. Suddenly there was a light but definite crunch of bone, and Jane yelped out in panic even though Maura had already withdrawn.

"OW!" she yelled. "A little?!"

"Do you have any ice packs?" Maura asked, ignoring Jane's melodramatic reaction. "You might want to get some on it, or you'll start looking like Mike Tyson."

Jane was too impressed with the sports reference to argue, and Maura chose not to mention that she'd picked it up from a nurse she had worked with over the summer. When Jane returned a few moments later with an ice pack held to her nose, Maura tensed with excitement when the girl plopped herself down right next to Maura. Trying to play cool, Maura asked Jane whether she planned on watching the ball drop at midnight.

"Ah, I guess. I'll go over to a news channel for like the minute before. But then they go straight to showing all the couples making out at Times Square for like minutes on end, and it's so uncomfortable and nasty."

"You're not a fan of public displays of affection, I take it?" Maura chuckled.

"Ugh. No. And there it's like, we get the point! You kissed across two years, that's awesome and so original. Blah, blah, blah."

For much of the next half hour, they snuck covert glances at each other, and their conversations started spreading past the commercial breaks. By the next episode, the dialogue had become background noise as Maura discussed her academic interests and her globe-traveling family, and Jane shared some embarrassing stories about her brothers while also relating more stories about injuring accidents she'd gotten herself into.

"Hey, you know, now that I think about it—I'm not satisfied," Jane realized.

"With what?"

"How I paid you for this," Jane said, indicating her nose with her free hand. Then she lowered the ice, putting it on the coffee table to relieve a bit of the icy sting. "My middle name is the embarrassing bane of my existence, and I think I deserve something equally awkward from you for it. I've got sort of a snapshot of your life now, and I want a juicy part of it. What's something you've never told anyone?"

"What exactly are you hoping I'll confess, Jane?"

"Something about the bodies buried in your basement," Jane joked.

Maura tapped her fingers restlessly against the can of Sprite Jane had gotten her a while ago, and she glanced at the television. Earlier that day she'd never dreamed she would end up eating pizza and talking with Jane Rizzoli like this. Jane had such a reputation for being tough and dismissive, and thus Maura would've expected to be suspicious of Jane's intentions with wanting to know a secret. Emotional blackmail? Something to mock her about? No…maybe she was just naive, but Jane's interest seemed sincere. She was trying to bond. Maura got the sense that if she really refused, Jane wouldn't bug her about it… and that's what made her want to say something.

"I've never been kissed," she said breathlessly. She could feel Jane's eyes on her, and looked over to see the incredulous look on her face. Quickly, Maura added, "—um, on New Year's." Jane relaxed a little, but also appeared sort of… disappointed? Maybe she did want to mock something, and that's not as good. "I'm sorry to let you down, Jane, but I haven't got an interesting enough life to have big secrets, I guess."

"You haven't got an interesting life!" Jane laughed incredulously. "You've seen more of the world than most people who've lived on it for decades! You have an awesome life, Maura. Don't let anyone ever make you feel down on yourself about it." She bit her lip, picking up the remote and flipping the station over to coverage of Times Square. It was five minutes to midnight, and Maura raised an eyebrow. "Can I confess something to you?" Jane asked, and the seriousness of her tone got Maura's attention.

"Yes."

If she were a couple years younger, Jane probably would've been too shy to admit this. But she felt more mature now, and leagues more confident in herself than she had in the past. Judging by the way Maura had been looking at her and engaging with her all night, the girl was bound to be interested in what Jane—laying on the thickest of all her Rizzoli charm—had to offer. She stared deeply into Maura's eyes, leaving her breathless and curious as Jane decided just how she wanted to word it.

"You have the most beautiful lips I've ever seen," she whispered, and it was actually true. They were obviously well taken care of, and also just happened to have a cute shape to them. Before Maura could figure out how to respond to this comment (aside from quirking her lips into an odd half-smile and blushing), Jane went on, "and I've really been wanting to kiss them."

Maura was equal parts delighted and nervous. "You have?"

"Mm-hm."

Jane leaned a little closer, moving slowly enough to give Maura time to back away if she wanted to. But Maura was transfixed in place, and her heart seemed to be pummeling between her ears when Jane closed the distance between them for a kiss. Jane grinned at the small moaning sound she had managed to elicit, and snaked her arms around Maura to bring her in closer. They were set in a true lip-lock and Maura was just starting to let herself feel how good this all was when Jane gently broke away.

"Can I confess something else?" she asked seriously, and Maura nodded. "I liked that more than I even thought I would."

Maura grinned back, bashful but excited. With a hopeful glint in her eyes, she put her arms around Jane's neck and Jane leaned back against the arm of the couch a little. This time Maura initiated the kiss, moving slowly, figuring out what was comfortable for her. Jane's hands didn't wander from Maura's back or waist, even though by the time the ball had dropped, Maura was full-on laying on top of her.

At some point long after midnight, Jane decided she wanted to be able to focus on the faint sounds Maura was making, and she blindly reached for the remote to turn off the TV. Maura was startled by the sudden silence, and self-consciously raised herself up a bit.

"Hey, no, don't do that," Jane whimpered, and Maura smiled a little.

"It's just…" With the TV off, the basement was entirely dark—and as much as Maura liked that, she felt a little nervous not having any background noise to drown out her own whimpering and God-knew-what-else.

"We don't have to do anything else," Jane said patiently, rubbing Maura's back in what she hoped was a comforting way. "We could just lay here… or you could go up and borrow my bed, if you want."

"No," Maura said, lying back down again. The couch was miraculously wide enough for her to lie on her side next to Jane, and she draped an arm over Jane's stomach. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah, I like it."

Jane could hear the smile in her voice. "Me, too."

A few minutes passed before Jane spoke up again. "Maura?"

"Yes?"

"I have another confession."

"Yes, Jane?"

"I think this is the coolest New Year's I've ever had."

That earned her a small kiss to the cheek. "Me, too."