HOLY MOTHER OF RIZZLES. I cannot tell you how absolutely blown away I am by everyone's (very positive) reaction to this fic. As of now (11pm ET), there are over 30 reviews and nearing 100 follows! I was nearly peeing myself with excitement all day long as email notifications went off on my phone.

I felt so overwhelmed by the response that I decided to go ahead and give you the next chapter, but after that, I do plan to wait several days before posting each time. I'm mostly doing this to make sure that I'm staying ahead enough with what I have written.

I could say thank you a thousand times and it still not be enough. What an incredible "return" it's been!


After Doctor Isles was certain that Jane had a good grasp on handling the children and their daily routine, she went back to her normal surgical rotations, seeing Jane only briefly a few times a week, but the two stayed in contact via text, and if something particularly exciting happened, the young brunette made sure to take a picture or video to send to Maura.

For her part, Jane stayed on top of the schedule Maura had set, though she didn't let the older honey blonde know that sometimes she just let Ethan and Samantha loose in the house, running around and often playing hide and seek. She usually did so when they needed to burn off a little more energy before naptime or bed.

About three weeks after Jane moved in, Maura came home early from the hospital to the sounds of loud squeals and the distinctive slapping of bare feet on hardwood floors, originating from upstairs. Alarmed, the older woman quickly set her belongings on the kitchen island and rushed through the house to the stairs. Once there, the squeals morphed into childish giggles and Maura's fears subsided.

"The pajama monster is gonna get youuuuu!" Maura heard Jane growl out in a comical monster voice.

"No, no, Jay! Not da jamma monster!" she heard her daughter squeak.

"Mama will be home soon, and the pajama monster has to come before she gets here, or she'll be mad at me!"

Glancing down at her watch, Maura noticed that it was 30 minutes past the children's bedtime and she frowned. Had Jane not been adhering to the proper bedtime?

Instead of intruding, Maura decided she'd wait for Jane to finish putting the children to bed, so as to not further disrupt their schedule, and wait for her in the kitchen. Turning on her heel, she headed back into the kitchen and selected a nice bottle of Malbec from the small wine rack, making a mental note to replace the bottle with another from the wine cellar.

By the time she was taking her third sip of the smoky red and reading a journal article on her iPad, she finally heard Jane's footsteps heading toward her and then stop abruptly.

"Oh, you're home," Jane greeted quietly, surprised.

Maura's lips formed a thin line briefly before she spoke, "And you put the children to bed more than 30 minutes past their bedtime."

Instantly Jane's eyes went wide. "Doctor Isles, please don't be mad," the young brunette begged. "For some reason they were just full of energy this evening, and then Sam insisted that she wanted to draw pictures for you, and of course Ethan wanted to join in, so after I made dinner, we sat down in the playroom to draw, and we were just having so much fun that I accidentally let time get away from me and-"

"Jane," Maura interrupted, "Please take a deep breath."

"I am so, so sorry," Jane replied. "I know you told me to stick to their bedtimes, and I swear I have been! But tonight just..."

"Jane, please calm down, okay? I'm not mad," the older woman soothed. "Well, I suppose I was at first when I walked in the door and realized the children were still awake, but I am most certainly not angry with you now." She saw Jane visibly relax at these words.

"Oh."

"Would you like to know why?" Maura asked quietly, reaching forward slightly and patting the bar stool next to her.

The young woman swallowed hard and shrugged, sliding into the seat beside her, facing Maura, but avoiding her gaze.

"Please look at me," the honey blonde instructed softly.

When Jane did so, worry etched into her features, Maura reached forward and took the younger woman's hands between her own. "I cannot tell you the last time I remember either of my children giggling so much as I did tonight while I listened to you growl at them about the 'pajama monster' and it just," Maura paused and took a deep breath, looking down briefly before raising her eyes again, "thank you."

Jane bit her lip, and then slowly released it as her mouth curved into a smile and she blushed, looking away.

"I know technically you're not yet 'of age,' but considering I am of a very European mindset," the older woman said quietly, "would you like to try a glass of this wine? You deserve to relax for a bit, I'm sure."

"S-sure," Jane stuttered. "Why not?"

"Wonderful, I'll pour you a glass, and we can just have a little bit of girl time. What do you say?"

Jane grinned.


The first mini girls' night went so well, Maura thought, that a couple of nights later, she brought up the idea again to Jane, and the younger woman made dead sure that the children were in bed on time.

Jane had enjoyed herself immensely that first night and had found herself thinking back to their conversation many times over the next couple of days. She hadn't always enjoyed having many girl friends in high school, even though she had in middle school, so being able to have normal conversations with another woman, albeit an older one, was very reassuring to her for some reason.

The honey blonde doctor had touched her hand or arm several times throughout their conversation that first evening, and each time brought the same tingling in her spine she'd felt when Maura had first touched her the day she arrived. The feeling itself had seemed to whet her appetite for it, so when Doctor Isles suggested getting together again, she readily accepted the invitation.

The second wine and girls' night, the two talked a lot about Jane - her childhood, what she wanted to study in college, what she wanted to do as a potential career. Maura laughed so hard at some of the younger woman's ridiculous family stories that she almost started crying. She advised where she could when it came to colleges and career. But mostly, Maura just listened to whatever Jane had to say, and for once, Jane felt completely understood and respected.

As it finally neared midnight, the older woman hurried them both to bed, still hoping to get a solid seven hours of sleep before the children woke up to begin yet another busy day.

Neither one slept very well that night, however, as each laid quietly in bed, letting the effects of their conversation and interactions soak deep inside.

By the time she had fallen asleep, Jane had convinced herself she needed to ignore whatever she had started to feel around the honey blonde doctor.

Maura, alternatively, had started to formulate a plan for exactly what to do about her newfound dilemma with Jane.


A few mornings later when the doctor was home from the hospital, Jane went on an early morning jog. It was about an hour before the children normally woke up, and considering the doctor was home, she didn't think it would be that big of a deal.

It had been several weeks since she'd been running, since she didn't have too much time while taking care of the children, but after three and a half miles, she decided it was enough and she shouldn't overdo it.

Stumbling into the kitchen, slightly out of breath, Jane tore open the refrigerator and grabbed a bottle of water. As she turned around, she kicked the door closed with her foot and stepped toward the kitchen island, placing her right hand gently on it to steady herself as she threw her head back, guzzling the much-needed water with closed eyes.

The young brunette nearly choked on her water as she felt a warm hand touch her cool, clammy lower back and then a mass of honey blonde curls come around the side of her, reaching for a banana from the fruit bowl in the middle of the island.

"I'm sorry," Maura said quietly, turning her head to glance at the young woman. "I didn't mean to startle you. I thought you heard me when I said good morning just now."

Jane coughed a little to try and clear her throat some more, and shook her head no.

"Did you go running?"

Setting the water bottle down on the island counter, Jane replied hesitantly, "Yeah? I hope that's okay. I just kinda figured since it was before the kids normally get up and you were home that you wouldn't mind?"

"Oh, it's perfectly fine, Jane," Maura replied brightly. "Anytime I'm home, you don't necessarily have to spend your time with us, or me. Just let me know if you go anywhere, so I don't have to worry." Realizing she still had her hand on the young woman's lower back, she swallowed and tried to remove it as quickly as possible without jerking it away awkwardly.

"Okay, cool."

"Do you run often?"

"A couple times a week usually. I haven't been running since I got here though and my body was craving it."

"Please feel free to do so on days like this when I'm home. You deserve some 'me time,' dear."

The brunette face broke into a smile and she thanked the older woman.

"I must say though, you have a spectacular body. The muscles in your midsection," Maura reached forward again as she spoke and lightly trailed her fingers down Jane's sleek back, from the bottom of her black sports bra to the top of Jane's matching running shorts, "are very defined. It very much suits your skeletal frame."

Jane felt herself twitch involuntarily at the touch of Maura's fingers on her bare skin and suddenly her body erupted into goosebumps as a shiver coursed through her. "I," she stuttered, "I'm gonna go take a shower."

"Okay," the doctor replied softly. "Would you like some breakfast? I feel like cooking this morning."

"Sure, sure," the young woman replied shakily. "Whatever you make is fine. I'll, uh, be back in a few, I guess."

As Jane walked away, Maura smirked to herself and began gathering all the necessary ingredients to make a nice breakfast for herself, the children, and Jane. For some reason, Jane's response thrilled her and she looked forward to more tactical interactions with the innocent young lady.

The young brunette headed to her room, shaken by her host's unnerving, soft touch, and once entering her room, she closed the door behind her, locking it quickly. The light brush of the beautiful blonde's fingers along her spine caused a familiar, but still relatively new for her, warm throbbing between her legs. She had only ever felt it before on a handful of occasions, but never with a woman, and especially not one so beautiful and mature. The thought that she could very well be developing an attraction for Doctor Maura Isles absolutely terrified her and for the moment, she was at a complete loss as to what to do about it.


What say you, lovely readers? :)

Edit: To the Guest who left this oh so fabulous review last night...
"Great, another fic where an older person sets out to seduce a minor! I'm a huge fan of these kinds of stories, especially when there's the chance that even younger children might observe things they shouldn't. And Maura is delightfully creepy, well done! (You should probably consider seeking therapy if you think this kind of behavior is acceptable or normal.)"

1) Are you sure you can read? Do you need an eye exam? Jane's almost 20. I dunno where you come from, but in the United States of America, Jane's a legal adult as of age 18. If this were a fic with an older man and a younger woman, would you say the same thing? Age differences between women are not as noticeable, and if you think otherwise, you clearly don't know much about the dynamics of female relationships. Before you start flaming me, or anyone else who writes not-so-vanilla fics, perhaps you should consider 1) this is fanfic, so I can write whatever the hell I want about fictional characters, seeing as that's the whole point, 2) getting your facts straight, because there's nothing illegal going on here, 3) why the hell would Jane and Maura do anything in front of the children? How is a lesbian sexual relationship different than heterosexual in regards to children being around? Do you think lesbians have sex in front of actual minors? Whatever. And 4) you're an asshat, obviously. I eat little gray-faced shits like you for breakfast. NOMNOM.