A/N: Hi, all! Long time, no Rizzles. I was just feeling nostalgic for them and their love, and was inspired by a tumblr post to write something about cuddling with someone in a manner which might or might not lead to more. Then I wanted to combine it with a wintry prompt a friend of mine has wanted for some time, about huddling for warmth. This is a follow-up to Smash Cut, but works as a stand-alone two-shot as well (ch2 will be up before the weekend). Reminder, Jane and Maura are in their early twenties. And, credit to thepriceisrizzoli for letting me borrow a word-tracing headcanon :)

Their first romantic getaway could not have come at a better time.

Jane needed something to help her recover from the overbearing family time of Thanksgiving and to sustain her for the overbearing family time of Christmas. Maura had been buried in studying for exams, severely limiting the time she and Jane got to spend together. They had set a date for a weekend trip in mid-December, as soon as Maura's tests were over. A blizzard late on Friday night threatened to make their drive to Vermont impossible, so despite the fact that it would mean very little time to sleep after her shift, Jane had suggested leaving in the afternoon for a head start on the snow. Maura was game.

Constance had once told her that a good test for a new relationship was how well you fared together on a road trip. The drive to the Isles' family cabin (the one shared property in their divorce) was less than four hours, but Maura figured that still counted. Determined not to fall asleep, Jane had brought a Red Bull along for the trip and made it the most fun drive Maura had ever been on. Though it started to snow when they still had about half an hour left to go, they arrived safely, with the only real danger occurring when Jane's Iggy Azalea impersonation made Maura laugh so hard she almost swerved into oncoming traffic.

"Oh my gosh, it's so cozy, I can feel the coze wrapping itself around me," Jane said upon walking inside the cabin. She gasped and threw herself onto the couch, arms outstretched. "Come lie here with me."

"Just a sec," Maura laughed, untying her scarf. "Let me grab some blankets so you don't freeze to death."

In the few seconds it took Maura to throw their bags in the bedroom and get an armful of blankets out of the closet, though, Jane seemed to have fallen fast asleep on the couch. Maura threw the heaviest blanket over Jane and knelt by her feet, untying and removing Jane's boots as smoothly as possible. Jane stirred when Maura took off the first one but said nothing.

Wow, she must really be out of it.

Maura scooted to the other end of the couch, by Jane's head, so she could brush some hair out of her face. Jane's features scrunched up for a moment but again she said nothing. Maura would've been tempted to get up on the couch with her, but there wasn't really enough room for them to comfortably lie there together, so she stayed kneeling on the floor, stroking Jane's shoulder.

"Jane? Are you asleep?" she whispered. No response; just continued relaxed breathing. There was something really sweet about seeing her this way, unguarded and at ease. Maura knew she had a dopey grin on her face but didn't care, and she knew Jane couldn't hear her as she continued to speak softly, but after a few moments she did anyway: "I should get us some firewood. It's just right outside, and I won't be long. But I'll miss you." Maura kissed her cheek. "I love you."

As she got to her feet, it occurred to Maura that that was the first time she'd ever actually said that out loud. It had just felt right in that moment, and her only regret was that Jane hadn't heard it. But maybe that made it easier to say the first time out, like a test run. Considering the warm glow it made her feel even as she stepped back out into the snow, it seemed the test run was a go.

Jane groggily got up a few minutes after Maura's exit. "Babe?" she yawned. "Where'd you go? Maura… please, don't make me get up."

When there was no answer, though, that was what Jane had to do. She stood, and was startled for a moment to see someone through the window. But then she realized it was Maura, splitting logs. Maura Isles in a red plaid jacket and bomber hat, wielding an axe, was so hot that all Jane could do was stand and stare for almost a full minute. Exhaustion got the best of her and she collapsed back on the couch, but she planned on telling Maura later that it was the view that made her faint.

It was dark out when Jane woke up again. She had rolled over, eyes still closed, and her arm smacked Maura in the head.

"Ouch!"

"Oh! Sorry, babe, I didn't see you there."

Maura had been sitting on the carpet by Jane's head, reading in front of a crackling fire. Jane propped herself up on the sofa and inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of the wood fire.

"Sorry I conked out on you," she sighed. "What's that you're reading?"

"Just a little nostalgia," Maura chuckled, holding up the book for Jane to see. It was one of The Babysitters Club books. "These are the only things of mine that are still here. I wanted to get as far away from medical stuff as possible this weekend, and this is a pretty good start. And by the way, don't apologize for being tired. How much sleep did you even get before we left, two hours?"

"Almost. For the record, I did wake up for a minute while you were um, taking care of that." She nodded at the fireplace. "It dawned on me that I've never seen someone actually chopping firewood before. You were uh, pretty sexy out there. So sexy, I passed out. For several hours, it looks like."

"Stop," Maura snorted, though amused. "The logs were pre-bought, they just needed to be split. It's not that hot."

"I respectfully disagree." She sat up when she noticed Maura was shivering. "You still cold down there?"

"The fire feels really nice, but this blanket is pretty thin and I should be closer to the fireplace," Maura admitted. "But I liked sitting by you. Even if it meant getting whacked in the face."

Jane laughed and stretched. "That's the price you have to pay sometimes, I guess. I'm gonna get down to your level and change into some more comfortable clothes, okay? Take this while I'm gone." She dumped the heavy blanket over Maura's head. "That thing is amazing, it weighs like a ton and reminds me of my Great Aunt Virginia's mink coat."

"Funny you should say that," said Maura, moving closer to the fireplace. "We actually got this blanket for my great aunt, Marge, when she visited. She complained that none of the blankets were warm enough."

A few moments later, Jane came sprinting back to the couch in the sweats she used as pajamas. "Brrr, I don't blame Great Aunt Marge! It's chilly in here, let me get back under there."

She brought back two of the other blankets with her, and an enormous couch pillow for them to share. Maura nestled in to Jane's side and Jane let out what was only a slightly-exaggerated sigh of contentment. The kind of easy silence she could enjoy with Maura was priceless, and getting to have it in front of a fireplace was a heaven she couldn't have even thought to dream up.

They had been laying there in silence for several minutes, neither of them sure how long. Maura thought it possible Jane had dozed off again, and she found herself also drifting closer to sleep. At Jane's insistence that Maura give herself a break from her stringent diet, they'd gorged on road trip snacks and fast food on the drive, and still feeling quite full, it was all too easy for Maura to let her eyes close in front of the warmth of the fire.

Jane had spent the night at Maura's place only twice: once when they'd both had too much to drink to drive safely, and another when they'd stayed up talking until 3:30 in the morning, at which point Jane had been too tired to drive her bike home. In the first instance, Jane had done as she had this afternoon and passed out on the couch. The second time, Maura was disappointed to find that after talking Jane into sharing the bed with her, she'd brushed her teeth and returned to the bedroom to find Jane out like a light. It wasn't that Maura had expected Jane would want to fool around, but—it had felt silly to admit later, so she never had—she had just wanted to cuddle with her. They'd cozied up next to each other on the couch a couple of times while watching TV, but Maura wanted the whole thing: stretching out together, no screen to look at.

Maybe it was Jane's innocence and inexperience, and their resultant deliberate slow pace, that made Maura crave something others her age might have dismissed as juvenile. But to her, cuddling was just as if not more of an intimate act than sex. Before realizing she was a lesbian, cuddling was never something she'd wanted to do with her boyfriends. She could handle the sex well enough, but it was the thought of him trying to snuggle up next to her afterwards that was somehow the worst bit of it.

Almost since their first semi-date at a coffee shop, Maura had wanted to fall asleep next to Jane just for her calm presence. Lying in bed, trying to slip into slumber, was when Maura's anxieties all liked to come out to play. Jane had the most amazing way of putting her at ease without even trying, and Maura wanted to know if that affect could help her defeat insomnia.

Enveloped in blankets, Maura moved to let her face rest on the soft curls by the crook of Jane's neck. She couldn't contain a quiet laugh, remembering how Jane had referred to her own hair as "a briar patch" the first night they'd met. It was feeling more than hearing the chuckle that pulled Jane from her light slumber, and she smiled. One arm was tucked under Maura and had started to go numb, so she moved it up behind Maura's neck and around her shoulders despite an adorable sound of protest.

"Oh, baby, baby," Jane whispered, still grinning and her eyes still closed. She lightly kissed Maura's forehead, tracing her fingers along the arm Maura had draped over her stomach. Maura just hummed in response, somehow managing to snuggle even closer. For a short while longer, the only sound was the crackling of the fire. Maura was almost falling asleep again when she heard Jane whisper something: "This is so nice."

"Hm?"

Jane hadn't meant to speak the thought aloud, and repeated herself with a self-conscious laugh: "I said, this is so nice. This week has just been so long and stressful, and I kept thinking how great today was gonna be. The weekend's barely started and I'm already thinking how bummed I'm gonna be when it's over."

"Shh, no," Maura said. "Don't do that. Be in the moment and enjoy it. The niceness isn't temporary."

Jane went quiet again, embarrassed to vocalize the sentiments going through her mind: how she couldn't imagine ever tiring of this. How she was usually only able to relax in full when she was alone, and that she'd never dreamed of being able to feel this level of peace with somebody else. They were huddled together now for joy as much as for heat, and Jane hoped at least some of what she was thinking was getting across.

Maura heaved a deep, happy sigh, her breath like a caress against Jane's neck. "I'm just so glad you're here."

Jane kissed her forehead again. "There is nowhere else in the entire world I'd rather be."

She trailed her hand down to Maura's waist, slipping her fingers under the hem of Maura's sweater. She felt Maura shiver at the sudden contact, and felt her nod when Jane asked if it was all right. The tips of Jane's fingers were still cold, especially in contrast to the warmth of Maura's stomach. After the initial surprise, it felt nice in an unexpected way.

Jane seemed to be tracing small patterns, then would brush a few fingers over the same spot in one motion. With every such swipe, she'd kiss Maura's forehead. When Maura willed her hazy brain to concentrate, she realized the tracings weren't random patterns.

"Are you writing something?"

"Yes," Jane laughed, not sure why she sounded insecure when she'd hoped Maura would notice. "When I was a kid, my best friend Emily and I used to do this when we were bored at church. We'd 'write' messages on each other's arms. To differentiate between words, you wipe the slate." She did the brushing motion again.

"Did Emily get a kiss each time, too?" Maura asked, about half-serious.

That got a light laugh out of Jane, and she shifted over to kiss Maura's cheek. "Nah, baby, that's just for you."

Feigning a satisfied smirk that Jane couldn't even see, Maura tilted her head for a proper kiss. Maura wanted to touch Jane's face (she loved to feel the dimples that emerged when Jane smiled into their kisses), but she was loathe to move her hands out from the warmth of the blankets. She rolled onto her side, taking gentle fistfuls of Jane's shirt. Before either of them could deepen the kiss, Maura broke it off with an abrupt realization.

"I missed what you were writing for me, then. On me, I mean. What did you say?"

Jane opened her mouth to answer but paused, torn between two responses: "nothing important" or, more accurately, "nothing you don't already know."

"How about you try and follow along this time?" she murmured.

Maura was still lying on her side, and her breath hitched when Jane gently tugged at the hem of her sweatpants. When Jane asked if it was all right, Maura bit her lip and nodded. Fighting to keep her breathing steady, Jane felt her heartbeat pick up as she pulled the sweats down a little farther and her thumb brushed the waistband of whatever kind of underwear Maura had on.

It was at that moment and not a second sooner that Jane realized she was ready to find out what kind that was, exactly.

Now she wasn't holding back out of self-consciousness or concern that she wasn't ready, or closeted self-doubt. She held back because she was in no sudden rush now that the readiness had struck her. It could happen tonight, tomorrow morning, next week, whenever. But soon.

With her hand positioned on Maura's bared hip, Jane said, "let's see if I can't distract you, huh?"

"Oh, you think I can't multitask?" Maura scoffed.

It was very tempting to give in when Jane started to kiss her neck, but Maura forced herself to pay attention to the letters being traced on her hip. Oh, Jane thought she was funny.

"Refrigerator?!" Maura balked, and Jane couldn't keep in a laugh at the indignation in her tone. "Smartass!"

"I'm sorry," Jane wheezed. "Dang, I was hoping maybe I was good enough at keeping you too preoccupied to notice."

Maura snorted. "You almost did. But come on, what were you saying before? Or does it ruin it if I'm aware?"

Jane sighed, propping herself up on one elbow, keeping her hand on Maura's hip. This repositioning allowed some of the cold cabin air into their blankets, but Maura couldn't bring herself to care; not with Jane gazing down at her like this, with the firelight reflected in her eyes. Jane brushed some hair from Maura's forehead and blew a kiss at her.

HI

THERE.

Maura's smile widened. "Hello to you, too."

Nothing else was communicated for a while, at least not in words. Jane's grin didn't disappear, but almost, and for a moment she appeared to be on the verge of tears. How to make this succinct enough to spell out?

THANK

YOU.

"For what?"

EVERYTHING.

Jane shrugged one shoulder and knew she should elaborate. "Thank you for bringing me here, this special place from your childhood memories. I like being someplace that's meaningful for you. Thank you for answering all my dumb questions about sexuality. No, it's okay, some of them have been dumb," she laughed when it looked like Maura wanted to protest this. "Thank you for staying up later than you should on some weeknights, just so we can spend even a few minutes together. Thank you for being the reason I smile at my phone when I get your 'let me know when you're home safe' texts." She swooped down for a kiss, overplaying it to stave off the sudden onset of emotion threatening to overwhelm her. It didn't help much when she pulled back and saw Maura, though still smiling, was tearing up.

She went on: "Thank you for sharing your generous spirit with me. Thank you for forgiving me when I screw up. Thank you for not pushing me or trying to shame me into coming out to more people before I'm ready."

Jane had to take a steadying breath when this comment spurred Maura to reach up, taking hold of Jane's arms, but she kept herself propped up.

"Thank you for not pushing me to have…to be more intimate than I've been, uh, ready for." Jane allowed herself a shaky laugh. "Like, thanks for never saying anything like 'geez babe, what if I get wounded in battle and can't get it up anymore and I'd never gotten to plow you?'"

"My God, he didn't."

"Almost his exact words. But I'm glad he said them." Her laugh was more natural this time, brought on by Maura's quizzical expression. "He dropped that oh-so-romantic line, and shortly afterwards I agreed to go to CVS with him for an item that some beautiful woman was also buying, for her friend's bachelorette party."

Maura was able to relax and smile again. "Little did that woman realize how the simple act of buying lube for a friend would go on to change her life."

Jane's smile couldn't be contained now. She drummed her fingers along Maura's hip before she began tracing again:

I

L O

She stopped abruptly, and Maura watched her with bated breath. This wasn't something Jane wanted to say for the first time in such a casual way. For a brief moment she wondered what the right tone would be, but she soon realized she was overthinking it and just needed to go with her gut and say exactly what was on her mind. She stroked Maura's cheek, her voice calm and quiet:

"Maura? I love you. I'm in love with you. The things I feel when I'm around you, and feel for you when I miss you because I'm not around you, it's just nothing like I've ever felt for anyone else. Not even close. I totally don't want you to feel like you have to say it back, and I'm sorry if it seems soon. It's just what I've been feeling, and I thought you should know. I'm in love with you and that's how I know I'm real —I mean, what I'm feeling is real. And I'm not afraid of that anymore."

Maura pulled Jane down on top of her, wrapping the blankets securely around them both again. She was shivering, and Jane thought the need for warmth must have been why Maura seemed to be trying to tuck herself in to Jane. This was only partly correct, she would realize, as Maura started peppering kisses onto every part of Jane's face that she could reach.

"I love you, too," she whispered. "I love everything about you and I love who I am when I'm with you and who we are when we're together."

Jane was smiling, but didn't want to get ahead of herself. "You don't have to say it back if you're not—"

"Hey." Maura had intended to jokingly slap Jane's cheek, but in the moment, found she couldn't do so even in jest. So her hand rested there, her thumb rubbing over the dimple she had fallen in love with at first sight. "You know I don't lie, even about inconsequential things. I would never tell you I was in love with you if I didn't mean it to the very depth of my bones."

"Wow, that sounds serious," Jane said.

"It is," Maura said, and she sounded serious as well. "I've loved you for a long time, Jane. Saying it aloud is new, but feeling it isn't."

The fire couldn't be doing this, Jane thought, spreading warmth from the inside out. She couldn't remember what cold felt like as she captured Maura's lips in a kiss. That familiar swooping sensation was back, but felt more powerful and out-of-control than ever. She teased Maura's lips apart with her tongue, and in response, Maura shifted one of her legs between Jane's. A satisfied hum rumbled from Jane's throat, and when she moved to break off the kiss, Maura reached to bring her back in for another one.

"Hold on," Jane chuckled. She shifted, moving her hand back under Maura's shirt. "Can I…?"

This would've been a good time for a deep breath, Maura thought, but she couldn't summon the energy. "Jane, do whatever you want to do. Please."

"Okay. What do you want me to…?"

Maura squirmed, trying to get closer to Jane. "I just want to feel your hands on my body. Anywhere you want."