The drive to the house was mostly silent. Every now and then, Maura would point something out to Jane, but lack of sleep was beginning to catch up with them.

When they pulled up in front of a small beach house, Jane was mildly surprised at its size. "I think I was expecting something bigger."

Grabbing her hand, Maura led Jane toward the house. "When I inherited the land, it came with a rather large mansion. I stayed there once, and found all the empty space to be overwhelming, and unneeded. It actually houses most of the executive staff of the vineyard, now, as well as serving as a venue for meetings and events. I had this house built to be closer to the beach, and to feel more comfortable. Do you want a quick tour, or would your prefer to just unpack and go to bed? I know I'm exhausted."

Fighting a yawn, Jane shook her head. "Unpacking and bed. You can give me a tour, tomorrow, of the house and the island. Show me exactly how much of this is ours, and I'm sure you're dying to show me the vineyard you mentioned. But, first, I need sleep."

They unloaded their bags and got them inside. Maura led them to the bedroom, insisting they unpack to keep their clothes form wrinkling. Finally, Jane steered Maura to the bed, lying down and pulling her into her arms. A few minutes later, they were both asleep.

It was dark when Maura woke, finding Jane gone. Getting up, she wandered the house, until she found Jane sitting in the kitchen. Outside the doors, the moon reflected off the waves. Walking up behind her, she wrapped her arms around Jane's waist, resting her chin on her shoulder.

Jane didn't turn when she spoke. "I woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. Came looking for something to eat, and just stop looking at the water. I'm used to the water. Growing up in Boston, you just stop really noticing it, you know? But, here, it's so different. There's no lights, so you can see all the stars and the moon reflected in the water. It's almost like the water and the sky go on forever. So, I've been sitting here, just watching."

Maura smiled, kissing her cheek. "It is beautiful. I used to come here when I needed to get out of the city for a few days or a week. Even though I was alone, it felt less lonely, somehow. It doesn't make any sense, because I was more alone here than I was at home."

Leaning back into her, Jane pulled Maura's arms tighter around her. "You said you haven't been here in years. Why did you stop coming? It's gorgeous here."

Smiling, she nuzzled Jane's neck. "I stopped needing to get out of the city. I met someone who made me stop feeling lonely, and I didn't need to come here to feel better, anymore. I knew coming here would just feel lonely, because I'd miss you."

Unable to speak for a moment, Jane turned to kiss her. "I'd have missed you, too. I did miss you, on the days I didn't see you. I still would, if I ever let you out of m sight for that long."

Maura laughed lightly. "So, THAT'S why you started showing up with take out and movies, or calling to invite me to the Robber. I suspected, hoped, but never knew for sure. I started to look forward to those visits and calls. They meant I didn't have to risk being turned away if I sought you out. It took me a long time before I was confident that you actually wanted my company, and would accept any overtures I made. That's when I knew what having a best friend meant. When I realized you made plans with me in mind, not only with me, but you also included me in your plans with others and made sure to always have time for me."

It was Jane's turn to laugh. "Babe, I did more than make sure I always had time for you. As far as I was concerned, Wednesday evenings and the weekends were yours. I didn't make other plans for those days. The only exceptions were work, Sunday dinners, and when Ma would force me into something. I'd have given you Friday evenings, too, but I knew you needed that time for your date nights. Even then, most of the time I had plans, it was because you dragged me on a double date."

She stared at Jane, in mild disbelief. "You really did that? I never realized you saw those times as standing plans. I guess I just thought you spent time with me when you didn't have other plans. If I'd known, then I might not have talked you into so many double dates. Mostly, I wanted to make sure I got to spend time with you. It, also, helped to know that if my date went badly, we would go back to my place for a drink and to talk. After awhile, I started to look forward to the bad dates, almost as much as the good ones, because bad dates always ended with you staying late and deciding to sleep over."

Jane shook her head, chuckling. "We're a pair. You dragged me on bad dates so we'd end up having sleep overs. I agreed to to go, hoping they'd suck, so I could sleep over. More and more, I have no idea why we didn't end up together, sooner."

Maura didn't even have to think before answering. "For me, it was mostly because I was unsure. At first, I was unsure if the emotions I experienced were unusual between best friends. I recognized my physical attraction to you, of course, but I wasn't sure if the level of comfort and attachment was usual for that type of relationship. When I started to realize I probably felt more, and deeper, than best friends typically do, I was unsure how you'd react. Rather than risk losing your friendship, either because I misread my feelings or you didn't return them, I decided to not say anything."

It was several moments before Jane came up with an answer. "I never had a friend like you, before. All of my best friends were always guys. With them, there was always a level of distance, probably because we didn't want anyone to think we were together. With you, I didn't have to worry about that, so there wasn't that distance. By the time people started thinking we were a couple, I didn't want anything between us to change, so I ignored it. I really have no idea when I started being attracted to you. Attractions always been more mental for me, anyway. I can find someone attractive, but I'm almost never attracted to someone until I start to really get to know them. I think it was just too gradual for me to notice. You were just my best friend, until I realized I was head over heels in love with you."

After a moment, Maura nodded. "Like the anecdote of the boiled frog. If you place a frog in a pot of water, and slowly heat it, the frog won't notice the change in temperature until the water gets hot enough to kill it. The change is too gradual for their bodies to register, before it's too late. It's an example often used to help visualize how one can become acclimated to gradual change over time, without realizing that any change has occurred."

Jane shrugged. "I really don't know. I just know that I wouldn't change the way I feel about you, for anything. If you'd admitted you were attracted to me, sooner, I might've freaked out, or I might've realized I was attracted to you. I probably would've freaked out, at least at first. You would've felt hurt and rejected, and would've distanced yourself. I'm glad that didn't happen. Things happened the way they needed to, and I wouldn't change a minute of it. After all, it got us to here."

Maura hummed in agreement, and they both turned to watch the sun rise over the water.

A/N: Short, fluffy chapter. I blame the fact that I started writing it at 2am, and got progressively sleepier as I went. Don't worry, there will be more smut, as well as actual plot (waits for the gasps of shock and dismay to quiet), in future chapters.

This chapter was going to have smut, but I think I'm just too tired to come up with any. Instead, you get sleepy conversations in the dark with quiet introspection.

I should take myself off to bed, so I can have the energy to write some more fun bits.