Fair warning: This is a one shot. :-)
Characters aren't mine, but I do love borrowing them!
Jane didn't always think about what she wore or how she looked in it. She rarely gave no more than a few second's thought to her appearance, so, when Crowe pinned her by the water cooler to ask her when she started wearing pink, her reply surprised them both.
"It's not pink, it's mauve, which is more of a purple, and I've had it for a while now. It goes with this suit. I can't help it if you don't pay attention, Crowe. Of course, that explains why I'm kicking your ass at solving cases."
With a smirk, she had returned to her desk. Once she'd sat down to start working again, it had hit her. She had gone out, on her own, and purchased clothing that she had put more than a few seconds of thought into. In fact, she had gone to some place other than the megamart to purchase the outfits, had gone to a real shoe store, and, she realized with a bit of start, she had a hair appointment that day to touch up the highlights in her hair and get it trimmed.
Tailored clothing, high dollar shoes, highlights in her hair, manicures, pedicures, wondering about things like body spray scents and the right color eyeliner… worrying about makeup at all…
She was getting girlier. She didn't like this fact at all, but she couldn't seem to stop herself.
A few days later, she found herself making a special trip to set up personal trainer appointments at her gym. As she sat down to speak with the trainer, she internally flinched at the answers to their questions.
"So, what is it you want to work on?"
"My core muscles." The yoga thing would be easier if I was stronger in that area, which would make dealing with Maura easier. *flinch*
"Your core is already pretty strong from what I can tell on your assessment, but we can definitely improve on it. What else are you looking to improve on?"
"I'd like a little more definition in my legs." My legs would look better in those heels I bought the other day if I had a little more definition. *flinch*
"Okay, you're a runner, right?"
No, but Maura makes me. "Yeah, I've run a marathon." Man, I looked good in that LBD after training for that race. LBD? Oh fuck. *flinch*
"Well, running does help, but we can add some additional definition if you'd like. Anything else?"
"No, I think I'm good. So, see you on Thursdays?" Why the hell am I doing this?
"Yes. I look forward to it, Detective."
She found herself picking up magazines that she once mocked Maura for reading. She paid attention to sales. She put an ivy on her desk. Two weeks after her regular training sessions started, she found herself sitting in an appointment for training of a different sort.
"So, Miss Rizzoli, what do you hope to accomplish by attending our weekend sessions?"
"Uh, well, I'm hoping to stop embarrassing my friend all the time." The fish thing… yeah, I don't want to do that again.
"You do understand the courses are intensive?"
"Yeah, I get that." Can't be worse than Maura correcting me all the time.
"The lessons consist of three sessions. Each session is three days each, Friday through Sunday. You will be expected to remain on premises during that time, and you will not be able to communicate with people outside of the training sessions. We find it's easier to focus on the matters at hand if one is not distracted by outside stimuli."
"That might be a problem. I'm a detective. If there's an emergency, I have to be able to be reached."
"A detective and you want etiquette lessons?"
I'm so uncomfortable right now. I can't even… "Yeah, like I said, I want to stop embarrassing my friend."
"I understand. If you are able, we can give your phone to our administrative assistant. She can answer it and come find you if an emergency should arise. Will that do?"
"Yeah… that should work. So, when does this start?"
"Next Friday. Please be here promptly at 7 AM. You will find a check list of everything you are expected to bring in this folder. I look forward to working with you, Detective Rizzoli."
"Yeah, thanks." This isn't going to end well.
It had all been so gradual. She had gone from tomboy to something else, and she wasn't really sure what. It all came slamming home for her three months later as she waited for Maura to finish getting dressed for a dinner party she had agreed to attend with the doctor.
"Jane, that dress looks lovely on you. What is it?" Maura called from the bathroom as she put the finishing touches on her hair.
"I picked it up at Macy's." She shrugged despite the fact the other woman couldn't see it. "It's Jones New York. I think I found it on sale."
"Well, it looks amazing on you, and I really like those heels. Your legs look great in them." Maura stepped out of the bathroom in nothing but her slip. She smiled as she moved toward her closet. "Are those Jimmy Choos?"
"Yeah, I may have splurged a little." Jane smiled back, sitting in one of the chairs in Maura's bedroom with her legs crossed at the knee, something else she had recently started doing. "I thought they matched the dress, so I picked them up."
"Well, I approve. Your taste in clothing and accessories has really improved. Perhaps I'm rubbing off on you?" Maura's voice was muffled as she stood in her closet, picking out her dress and shoes.
"Doubt it." Maybe.
"I think maybe so. At the last luncheon we went to you didn't need my assistance at all in figuring out the proper way to do anything. I was really very impressed, and, if I didn't mention it, I had a lovely time."
"Thank you, and so did I." Jane's smiled beamed. I love it when she's happy with me.
"Yoga tomorrow," Maura stepped out of her closet with her dress draped over her arm and shoes in hand. "Are you up for the class?"
"Sure, should be fine." Jane stood, anticipating Maura wanting help zipping the back.
"Good, I've noticed you're getting better. See? I told you that you would be fine once you became confortable with the basic positions." The doctor shimmied into her dress and turned around, "I'm glad you seem to be enjoying yourself now."
"It's growing on me." The brunette stepped forward and grasped the zipper slowly pulling it up the back of the dress, being careful not to snag anything. "I mean, I don't mind it." Because you're there and you like it, and I like making you happy. "What?"
"What?" Maura turned around to look up into Jane's very confused face. "Why did you say 'what'?"
"That was out loud?"
"Yes. Jane, what's wrong?" The doctor placed a hand on Jane's arm, concern on her face. "You look frightened. If it's about the dinner tonight, I believe you'll be fine. Over the past few months, you seem to have really become comfortable with these sorts of events. But, if you don't want to go with me tonight…"
"No! I want to be with you tonight. I mean, I want to go." Jane could feel the blush creeping up her face. "I just… some stuff's been happening lately, and I think I know why, but I'm not really sure yet. So, I'm just going to put it on the back burner for now."
Maura tilted her head to the side. "If you need to talk about whatever it is, you know I'm here for you, Jane."
"Yes, I know. Thank you, Maura. I'm just not ready to talk about it. Maybe later, okay? If we don't leave soon, we'll be late." Jane gave a weak smile.
"Okay." Maura picked up her purse and followed Jane to the door. "Jane,' she paused for a moment, holding the detective still with the intense look on her face. "Thank you."
"For the dinner thing? Don't mention it. It's free food."
"No, for paying attention to the things that I appreciate." The doctor smiled warmly. "It's sweet of you."
"I, uh… yeah, sure, Maura." Jane flinched. "We're talking about the flowers I brought in, right?"
"No. We're talking about your new sense of fashion, the fact you wear the body spray I prefer on you, the fact that I know you took etiquette classes when you thought I wouldn't know, and the fact that you have clearly been working on your yoga technique when I'm not around. You have been doing all those things for me, haven't you? You know, you don't have to do that." But, you like those things. Of course I'm going to do them for you. I like making you happy.
"How did you know I was taking those classes? I told no one about those classes." Jane shook her head. "Never mind, I don't want to know. I just didn't want to embarrass you, that's all."
"You never embarrass me, Jane. You never could." I don't know about that…
The blush the brunette had been fighting finally won the battle. "Thanks, Maur. I just like it when you approve of… stuff."
"Thank you," Maura leaned forward and placed a light kiss on Jane's heated cheek. "I feel the same about you. That's why I've been watching baseball games when you're not around." She pulled back to look Jane in the eyes. "We'll talk more later, okay? We really can't be late."
"Okay, but we don't have to. I mean, I'm cool with whatever." Smooth, Rizzoli *flinch*
"Tonight, after the party, why don't you stay, and we can talk?"
"Okay," Jane opened the front door to lead them out. Free food, and I'm not going to be able to eat a thing. Damn it.