Entropy.

Entropy: en-tro-py (n.)
1. A statistical measure of the disorder in a closed system
2. Lack of order or predictability: gradual decline into disorder

Detective Jane Rizzoli parked her car in the only available parking space for two blocks and sighed heavily as she turned off the engine. She's been at work for what had felt like a week when in fact, it had been 16 hours. She was already almost 2 hours late for the 'surprise' birthday party her mother had organised for her and Frankie had told her about the week prior. She'd made as many excuses as possible to not go to her parents' home that night and yet, she still found herself parked in the area she'd grown up in.

As she stepped from the car, she cursed her friend and colleague Maura Isles for having had a previous engagement, some social event that she couldn't get out of, or so she'd said, and since she knew that Maura couldn't lie for her life, she plodded up the street alone. Four doors down from her parents' home, she heard someone shouting to 'get in the house' and smiled to herself. Given her line of work, Jane wondered if maybe, her mother had a death wish. As a homicide detective, Jane always carried her standard issue firearm with her, so having people jump out of dark rooms at an armed woman suddenly didn't seem all that smart. Smiling at the thought, Jane walked up the driveway, whistling loudly and chuckling when she heard the faint sound of a woman still barking orders.

Pushing the door open loudly, Jane rolled her eyes into the darkened room. Her parents almost never turned any lights off so the fact that the house was in darkness was cause enough for suspicion.

"Oh damn! They're not in!" Jane said loudly, the sarcasm in her tone evident. "I should probably go back home." She stepped into the room and closed the front door, waiting patiently for the guests to jump out, yelling surprise and throwing streamers. Nothing.

"Hello?" she called into the darkness, reaching out for the light switch and flicking it on. The house was totally devoid of people, everything was in its place, and the kitchen was immaculate but empty.

"Mom?" Jane yelled loudly, walking through into the dining room only to find that empty too.

"Daddy?" she called up the stairs. Still no reply, no sounds, no streamers but she definitely had a surprise.

As a last ditch attempt, Jane headed out into the garden, wondering if the party was out there. Pulling a flashlight from her belt, she guided its beam around the silent yard. The only thing out there was the neighbours' overweight cat who hissed at her before waddling off towards the large shrubs at the back of the yard. Heading back into the house, Jane locked the back door and headed back towards her car. "Surprise!" she mumbled to herself as she started the engine and pointed the car back towards her apartment.

Pulling the car into the garage of her apartment building, Jane made a mental note to return the favour and prank her brother, possibly an emergency call in the sewer system. She'd stopped for Chinese and a bottle of red wine on her way and her stomach rumbled in anticipation. In her bag, her cell phone rang, the ringtone giving away the identity of the caller.

"Hi Ma." She said wearily. Her mother's voice exploded loudly from the earpiece and it was obvious that she'd had a couple of glasses of wine. Her disembodied voice filled the car and Jane sighed as she listened to a graphic description of some chicken dish she had eaten earlier in the evening. "No thanks ma, I'm just going home, I don't want to meet you at the restaurant." Her mother berated her about being alone on her birthday. "MOM!" Jane snapped, silencing her mother almost instantly. "In a half hour, it won't even be my birthday so it doesn't matter. I'll talk to you tomorrow." She turned the phone off and threw it back in her bag.

Something wasn't right in the hallway of the building. Nothing looked out of place and yet Jane felt distinctly uneasy. Easing slowly down the corridor, she glanced quickly around the corner towards the door of her apartment. Once again, nothing was out of place. She sighed heavily; the case she'd been working on had gotten to her more than she thought. A woman had been stalked for months before her stalker had broken in to her home and raped, tortured and murdered her. Jane had been seeing shadows at every turn since she was detailed the case.

Sliding the key in her door, she pushed it open and slid down the back of the door, opening her egg rolls and eating them in the dark.
Suddenly, the overheard light snapped on, causing Jane to immediately drop her food and reach for her gun.

"SURPRISE!"

Her mother, father, Frankie and Maura called from the kitchen, waving their hands in the air and grinning. Relaxing her grip on the butt of her weapon, Jane got to her feet, shaking her head.

"I nearly shot you all!" she said with a grin, as she hugged each person in turn.

"You're so late Jane." Her mother scolded her gently while brushing her hair from her face. "You have such a pretty face, why don't you tie your hair back?" She continued while scooping her hair back into a ponytail.

"Ma!" Jane pulled away quickly.

"I thought you said you couldn't lie?" Jane confronted her friend, raising one carefully sculpted eyebrow.

"I didn't lie!" Maura replied. It was obvious from her tone that the indignity she voiced was fake. "I told you I couldn't go for a drink with you because I had a prior engagement." Which was the truth; Maura had spoken to Angela Rizzoli earlier in the week and been browbeaten to attend the surprise party and sworn to secrecy at the same time.
Before Jane could continue her interrogation of her friend, Frankie wrapped her in a hug, planting a kiss on her cheek. "Happy birthday sis!" he cheered in her ear. It was obvious he'd been enjoying a few party beers before she'd gotten home.

"I thought you said to go to Mom's!" Jane growled, pulling him out of earshot of her mother. "And where the hell are the guests?"

Frankie backed away, holding up his hands. "She found out I'd told you and had lied to me. It was going to be here the whole time."

"Well why didn't you tell me?"

Frankie laughed. "I only found out today. She told me to come to your apartment and pick you up; when I got here she was blowing up balloons." Jane punched him in the arm as her father handed her a beer.

"Don't rough house with your brother!" her mother called across the room, causing both Jane and her father to turn and roll their eyes at her.

"Happy birthday princess." Frank said, kissing Jane softly on her forehead. "Sorry about this." It was clear from his tone that he had also been nagged into submission by his wife. "I didn't want to do something like this but your mother insisted."

"Jane!" Angela called, interrupting their conversation.

"Yes Ma?" All Jane really wanted to do was curl up with her Chinese and a glass of wine and relax. It seemed that, despite the hour, her mother had other ideas.

"Is that what you're going to wear at your party?" She looked her daughter up and down disapprovingly. "Why don't you go and change into something pretty?"

"But Ma…."

Maura grabbed Jane's hand. "Come on, I'll help you." She said, pulling her friend into the bedroom.

"I'm not getting changed!" Jane protested as Maura closed the bedroom door behind them.

"What? Oh no, that would be completely ridiculous." Maura agreed. "I just, well, it's not that I don't…."

"You needed to get away from my mother!" Jane laughed as she fell onto her bed, sighing heavily.

"Yes." Maura agreed, sliding onto the bed next to Jane. "I believe she may have acute logorrhoea."

Jane rolled on her side, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"You think my mom has a cute what?" She asked, clearly incredulous that her friend found anything about her mother 'cute'

"Not cute, acute. Logorrhoea." Maura clarified gently. "It's a psychological condition where the sufferer talks too much, often incoherently."

Jane burst into laughter, the action causing the bed to shake noticeably beneath the pair. From the other room, both women could hear Angela still wondering aloud why it was her daughter couldn't dress nicely for her birthday celebrations and their laughter was only fuelled when they heard her send Frankie in to 'check up on them'.

Frankie knocked on the door and paused; he could hear the headboard of the bed knocking on the wall and stopped, staring incredulously at the solid door before taking a few flustered steps backwards.

"Frankie?" Angela called out to her son, but her voice was clearer and she had obviously joined him in the hallway. "What's the matter?"

Frankie grabbed his mother's arm and pulled her away from the door. "Come on Ma, lets light the candles on the cake, they're gonna need a minute." He told her sternly, his face a deep crimson as his imagination ran wild with what his sister might be doing on the other side of the door.

Both Jane and Maura sat up, staring at the door and straining to hear why Frankie had failed to come into the room. As Jane's giggles returned, Maura got to her feet. It was then that she realise their laughter had had the bed shaking and she stared at Jane.

"Oh my god, Jane!"

Her exclamation did nothing to ease Jane's laughter and she rolled onto her side, holding her stomach and wheezing.

"Jane it really isn't funny. They think we're…"

Jane coughed and wiped her eyes as she sat up slowly.

"Think we're what?" Jane asked as she composed herself. It had been a long while since she'd really laughed and she'd needed it.

"Maura?" she looked back and forth between her friend and the door, trying to work out what had happened while she'd be incapacitated with the giggles.

"They think we're, you know….."

Jane shook her head, "We're wha…" Realisation dawned over Jane and she felt the giggles returning with a vengeance.

"They think we're copulating!" Maura exclaimed loudly, before clamping her hands over her mouth.

That was the final straw for Jane and she gave herself over entirely to the giggles.

"Frankie!" Angela pulled herself from her son's grasps and stood in the kitchen with her hands on her hips. "Why do you man-handle your mother in such a way, really?"

Frankie ignored his mother's remonstrations and pulled open the nearest drawer in his search from some matches to light the candles with. He was sure he'd jumped to a conclusion but he could have sworn that he had heard Maura exclaiming; 'oh my god.' He tried to push the images from his mind; after all, Jane was his sister.

"What are you doing?" Angela asked as she came around the counter to his side.

"Matches Ma, we need matches for the candles." Frankie pushed the drawer closed and tried another. It contained only silverware.

Angela seemed content to be set a challenge and started pulling open drawers and cupboards before pausing and turning to her husband who had taken refuge on the sofa with Jo Friday.

"Frank?" she called, causing the man to roll his eyes and shake his head. "Where are the matches?" Frank Rizzoli Senior looked momentarily surprised by the request before remembering that his sole job in the organisation of this party had been to bring matches.

"I left them in the car." He sighed, getting to his feet in a hurry before Angela could begin to scold him for forgetting.

Emerging from the bedroom, Jane had managed to control her laughter and, despite Maura's best efforts she had managed to not laugh in all of 3 minutes. She found it hard to believe that Frankie would think she and Maura were sleeping together.
As they walked into the kitchen, Frankie turned and almost immediately looked away again.

"See." Maura claimed proudly, "He's displaying clear idiopathic craniofacial erythema."

"Idiot crane what?" Jane asked.

"He's blushing!" Maura clarified as she nudged Jane in the ribs.

Frankie busied himself with some dishes while his sister giggled childishly behind him. He found himself chuckling along with her as he washed and was pleased that she was happy.

"Aw Janie, you didn't change and you're so crinkled." Angela protested as she tried to straighten out her daughters crumpled t-shirt.

"Ma!" Jane batted her mother's hands away from her and wriggled from her grasp as Maura handed her a beer.

"What will your guests think?" The indignation in her mother's voice stopped Jane in her tracks and she turned neatly on the ball of her foot.

"There are no guests Ma." Jane said, extending her arms and spinning in the near empty room. "There's you and Frankie and Maura!"

On hearing her name, Maura turned, her brow wrinkled in confusion. "The dictionary defines guest as; 'One who is a recipient of hospitality at the home or table of another." She explained, a mischievous grin dancing on her lips.

Angela smirked at her daughter as she handed Maura a glass of red wine.

"Or," Maura continued, raising her glass towards the scowling detective. "One to whom entertainment or hospitality has been extended by another in the role of host or hostess, as at a party."

Jane poked her friend in the ribs, "You just can't stop it, can you?"

Before anyone had a chance to respond, the front door burst open to reveal Frank, Frost and Korsak.

"Happy Birthday!" the men cheered, extending their gift laden arms towards Jane.

"See Janie, guests!" Angela mumbled as she pushed past her to greet the new arrivals.