"Another drink, anyone?" Maura offered, for the fifth time that evening, eyes darting over to Hope and Cailin.

Hope shook her head, laughing. "I think we're alright, thank you."

"Calm down, Maur," Jane whispered from behind her hand "Everything's going great."

Maura had to admit, it kind of was. She and Hope had filled the time with lengthy discussions about the latest medical breakthroughs and Jane's contributions were reassuring enough to keep the hysteria from her voice. Even Cailin seemed happy enough, albeit uncommunicatively so.
Even so, it would be best to try and engage with her.

"So Cailin, how're you settling in in Boston now?"

"Mm, Okay." She replied, eyes fixed on the phone she held in her lap

"Missing your old friends?"

"I miss my girlfriend Alice." She said, raising her eyes to Maura's if though daring her to comment.

"Oh," Maura nodded "Studies suggest that around 30% of long-distance relationships work out, which may not sound like much but when you consider that "local" relationships have only a 20% success rate, it seems-"

"Y'know I think I will have another drink, Maur." Jane cut in.

"Oh, oh okay."

Cailin slipped her phone back into her pocket, seeming slightly pacified.

A sudden buzzing noise made both Maura and Jane reach for their own phones.

"Oh, that's me," said Hope "Doctor Martin… Yes… Okay I'll be right there." She ended the call and pushed back her chair. "I'm so sorry, DNA results have just come in, this wasn't at all what I was expecting."

"That's okay, I completely understand." Maura gave a bright smile

"Yeah, don't we all know what that feels like." Jane added

"Thank you for dinner, it's been wonderful."

After a look from her mother; "Yeah, thanks" Cailin said

Maura leaned against the door, listening to the sound of their footsteps dying away.

"I think," she whispered "that went okay."

"Yeah your daughter and I enjoyed your company." Jane called through the door

"Jane! Be quiet!"

She snorted. "Relax, they can't hear me."

"Actually, sound travels at a rate-"

"lalala but I can't hear you" She slumped onto the sofa and yawned.

Maura raised her eyebrows. "I'm sure you've had a very tiring day watching me cook"

"Hey, I provided the moral support. Takes it out of you" She yawned again, and closed her eyes. "You mind if I sleep here?"

"If by "here" you mean at my apartment, in a bed, then of course" She said, catching hold of Jane's hands and pulling her up.

'Aw but Maur" Jane whined, eyes still closed

"You'll end up with severe nuchal rigidity, and it's extremely bad for your posture. Come on."

"What's up?" Jane dropped onto the bed beside Maura

Maura blinked, eyes breaking away from the wall she had been gazing at. "You're looking much more awake" she observed

"The wonders of caffeine." Jane laughed dryly

Maura raised her eyebrows "You know you really shouldn't-"

"Yeah yeah, my question?"

"Oh, no, nothing. I was just thinking about Hope and Cailin. It's so strange to think of the whole lives they're had, away from Boston. Away from me"

There was a pause, in which Jane tilted her head to look at her whilst simultaneously stealing the majority of the quilt

"Well technically not whole lives." Maura amended

"Better late than never though, right?"

"I suppose so." She sighed "It must be difficult for them, don't you think?"

"Sure, having to come and have dinner in this pig sty." Jane waved her hand dismissively towards the sparklingly clean surfaces in every direction.

"But the moving away…"

"I moved away when I was about Cailin's age, I managed just fine."

"Did you have a girlfriend at the time?" Maura reached over to turn off the bedside light.

"Yeah, her name was Shania Twain."

"Really? Like the singer?"

"Joking, Maur" Jane rolled her eyes in the darkness.

"Oh" Maura seemed to consider this for a minute

"'Cause I'm straight, remember?"

"No, I don't remember. I don't think you've ever told me that"

"Does this mean you think I'm gay?"

"I think sexuality is too big a thing to be explained by one word. This leaves it open to confusion and exceptions. But to answer your question, no"

"Huh, okay then"

There was a long pause, and Maura half thought Jane had fallen asleep.

"Studies have shown that homosexuality tends to run in families"

Jane lifted her head slightly "Is this what's worrying you?"

"Not worrying, I'm simply musing, or hypothesizing…"

"Isn't that something you'd kinda know, through liking women or something?"

" Would I know, Jane? My lesbian experiences are limited, in the extreme. And surely to be absolutely certain-"

"Well you wanna make out or something? Lemme just get the candles and I-" Though the darkness hid it, Jane gave an exasperated eyebrow-raise. But the sarcasm was frozen by Maura's lips, suddenly on hers.

And then she was kissing her back. It was without thinking, as though reality was on hold; and while it didn't feel like anything else she'd ever felt before, it couldn't quite be called new either.

Until Maura's giggle broke the spell.

"Night, Jane!" She could just see the vague outline of Maura roll over to lie on her stomach, head turned.

What even was that?

It might have been ten minutes later that her breathing deepened in sleep.

Seriously Maur what just happened there

1.08am, the clock told her.

That did really happen, right?