AN: Here I go again with another offering. This one's just a wee bit longer than my usual. At least based on the counter for word count. My apologies if it takes me awhile to update after each chapter. Though better, the ideas come in spurts and sometimes the flow just doesn't feel...natural. I guess I'm a temperamental sort of writer that way. But here! Please read and let me know what you guys think. I have a couple of ideas as to where this would eventually lead, but let me know if I should end it here already or whatnot. I'd just hate to be the kind of writer who milks a story dry.

"Jane?"

"Jane? You there?"

Jane swallows nervously before she decides that she should speak with Maura first.

"Yeah. I'm here."

"Was that Maura?"

"Yeah. Listen, Frankie, I'll call you back later okay?"

"Hey! Wait, what's going on, Jane?!"

"You want me to fix things, right? I'm fixing it so shut it" Jane hisses, hangs up and turns to Maura.

"Hey you," she offers up a smile. A small one, but genuine at least, Maura notes.

"Is something wrong? I noticed you looked upset while on the phone and…" Maura feels a blush coming on. She hopes she doesn't appear like being "all up Jane's business" as said woman used to say whenever referring to her mother. The last thing Maura wants is to make Jane regret anything about this new facet of their relationship while supposedly still in the "honeymoon period."

"You were worried about me? I should be asking you how things are going. Normally, I'm the one with my hands all over the place when on the phone. When I glanced at you earlier you looked like you were well on your way to handling phone conversations like a Rizzoli."

Jane grins.

The blushing commences.

"I just realized that perhaps I should've picked one from the team to speak with and he, in turn, could've coordinated with the rest."

Jane takes the distraction and decides to run with it in the hopes of stalling Maura's curiosity about her own phone matters.

"Why didn't you?"

Maura sighs and leans against the same railing Jane is propped against, "Though the Isles Foundation's legal concerns aren't often necessarily dire or otherwise, I find myself more…concerned about the possible outcome of this situation."

The shorter woman turns her gaze to the streets below before placing her forehead against Jane's arm in the process. In return, Jane moves to wrap an arm around Maura, tucking her close to her side.

"You're not worried about being cheated out of royalties, are you?"

Jane's mocking tone assures Maura that her best friend turned…girlfriend? Lover? Partner?

Partner sounds better. Although, she IS still her best friend.

Regardless, her tone assures Maura that Jane knows her better than anyone else.

She scoffs and replies, "Hardly. I would prefer to be compensated justly for my work, but my concern lies not entirely on being awarded properly, but mostly in ensuring the preservation of my creation. And…I figured that presenting the publishers with a team of lawyers instead of just one might emphasize how serious I am about preserving what is mine."

Jane frowns, digesting the doctor's words.

"You…want to make sure that they don't make a movie down the road that barely resembles your book from which it's based on?"

Maura chuckles, "I think presuming a movie to be made out of my book—that is yet to be published, by the way—is a bit outlandish, don't you think? But…yes. Something along those lines."

"Please. Your book would be a blessing to the film industry. They've sucked ideas out of every other media: comics, video games, books, more books—they're running out of books they've even turned Fitzgerald's short story into a full film. I mean, wow!"

Maura leans slightly away to look Jane in the eye. "You've read F. Scott Fitzgerald's short stories?"

Jane's eyes widen, "You've seen the movie?"

"Why do you sound surprised?"

"Oh, you mean like you're surprised I know Fitzgerald's work?"

"How do you know about the movie?" Jane pulls away and crosses her arms, a small smirk flirting with her lips as she regarded the blonde woman in front of her.

The ME is disappointed at losing the other woman's warmth, but crosses her own arms in response.

"I saw it one night on TV."

Pause.

"No. Nope. You only watch films on TV when you're either with me, or when you're sick or upset and last time I checked—"

"—last time you checked was months ago, Jane" Maura cuts her off.

Jane stands still, the smile drops off of her face.

"And since you weren't around, though I was hardly 'sick', I was somewhat upset. And…I missed you."

"Maura…" Jane is at a loss as to how to bridge the distance that suddenly seems to have appeared between them.

Maura shakes her head with a tremulous smile. She steps forward quickly, wrapping her arms around the taller woman's waist and simultaneously burying her face against the crook of her neck.

Jane feels that the best response is to return the woman's embrace, as tightly as she could.

"I'm sorry" Jane whispers. "I'm sorry I hurt you."

She feels Maura shaking her head as she replies, "It's okay. It just took me some time to adjust to you not always being there."

Jane nuzzles close to Maura's cheek, close to her ear, "Did you? Adjust, I mean?"

Maura shakes her head. "I'm not sure. It's actually one of the reasons I thought starting fresh in another country might help do the trick."

Jane can't help but stiffen at her words.

"Jane…will you look at me, please?"

The former detective tries to pull away, but finds the other woman's grasp to be quite tight. And strong.

She should really stop underestimating that whole yoga thing.

When their eyes meet, Maura continues, her gaze serious but the depth ever present.

It is one of the few looks that can deter Jane from shying away with humor.

"Can we just…move forward? Yes, you hurt me. But there was also failure on my part for not stepping…up, so to speak."

Scoff.

"We both know that stepping up on your part may have only prompted me on a 'flight or fight' mentality. Neither would've been a pretty scenario."

Maura pauses, seems to give her statement thought, then nods briefly.

"Say it is so, can't we just start anew? I'm here, you're here. We're finally together. Isn't that enough?"

Jane sighs, "That sounds like a great idea, don't get me wrong. And a part of me wants to just sweep everything aside and start fresh like you suggest. But you and I both know better. These unspoken things and thoughts can pop up one way or another in the future. It may be in the middle of an argument, it may even be while we're having a quiet night in, who knows? But it will come up. And then what?"

Maura offers a wry smile. "Are you offering to…'talk'?"

Jane rolls her eyes. "As much as it pains me, yes. Yes, I think we do need to talk."

The smile on Maura's face transforms into something that Jane has trouble deciphering at first, until she notes the closest word to describe it was…"dreamy"?

"What?" Jane insists.

The blonde woman's smile transforms once more into a shy one as she lowers her gaze briefly until Jane nudges her chin upwards to meet her gaze.

She tries to downplay her next words with a shrug, but "I know you love me, Jane. And hearing the words from you again and again brings me great joy. But, it is always the things you do—big or small—that makes me feel this...nearly indescribable feeling within me that makes me want to do or say something just to show you just how much I love you in return."

"Uh…what?" Honestly, the look on Maura's face is enough to blow Jane away.

"Someone asked me once how you became my best friend, even followed up with a 'why'."

"And?"

Jane couldn't entirely be sure if she found herself drawn deeper into the look in Maura's eyes or her smile as she waited for her reply.

"I told him you became my best friend because you stayed."

Catching up to her words, Jane's facial expression morphs into a frown and an arched eyebrow as she sardonically responds, "Is that how we became best friends?"

Maura nods, either completely missing Jane's tone or choosing to ignore it as she was wont to do at times.

"How and why."

The confused look on Jane prompts the other woman to explain, starting off with a casual shrug and another shy smile.

"My life, though somewhat solitary at first, hasn't been entirely absent of friends, more so of companions. I told you about that best friend I had right before…well, you remember Arthur."

A roll of eyes is Jane's sole form of acknowledgement. Maura pokes her slightly in the ribs, and Jane retaliates by pulling her closer and wrapping an arm tighter around her.

Maura continues, "But you see, I'm used to people coming and going. Hardly anyone truly stays…until you."

"I'm sort of just wondering where this is going."

This time, the roll of eyes is courtesy of Maura's. True to form, any form of compliment or acknowledgement of something Jane did or said that touches the other woman deeply is deflected with humor or form of casual confusion.

Yet, the doctor persists and insists on ignoring the brunette.

"He asked me how we became best friends. You stayed long enough and continue to show up in my life day after day. Within a short time since first meeting you, fishnet stockings and all—"

A smirk on Maura's face prompts Jane to lightly shake the doctor in her arms as if in retort.

"—you began to mention plans that appear to involve me. All of a sudden I had people to meet after work that didn't have to involve work, or Foundation matters, or society functions. I had friends of friends that apparently I just had to meet so I can understand why they were deemed weird by a certain detective. Eventually I even had uncles, aunts, and numerous cousins that I had to meet, but at the same time warned as people I should avoid."

"I warned you about Tony. And I was right about Alex and you know it." Jane grunted.

"I didn't say you were wrong."

"Not hearing I was right either."

"You know, you never outright say 'I told you so' but you might as well just say it and get it over with." Maura shoots back.

"What, and miss holding it over you again and again for the next five years at least?"

Maura's smile softens once again as she gazes into Jane's.

A bit taken aback by the sudden change from near typical banter to something else, "What?" she can't help but ask.

"That right there," Maura grins and Jane would almost—almost!—describe it as a lovesick look on her best friend's face. Except she can't quite believe she's a deserving recipient.

"What?"

"You just casually speak of weeks, months, and years as if we're meant to spend all of that time and more together."

"Don't worry, Maura. We'll catch the next game live for sure."

"I told Aunt Nora we'll just drop by next week for that casserole she promised."

"What's the problem, Maur? I'm sure Frankie will forget it and by next year we can pull the same stunt and he'll have the same dumbfounded look on his stupid face."

"Jane! Sergeant Korsak said you told him I was in on it too!"
"Not my fault he assumed 'we' meant you and me!"
"Right. Because you weren't trying to subtly point a thumb in my direction when you said 'we'."
"Huh. Well I guess that means we better start planning for next month."

Jane pulls away just enough to catch Maura's gaze as she asks, "Does that bother you? That I just make plans and assume you'll be in on it with me? Whatever those plans may be?"

"Didn't you understand, Jane? I love it. I love you."

Jane thought her heart stumbled in hearing those words.

"You became my best friend by staying. You stayed my best friend because you keep showing up and you keep making plans for the both of us. You drive me crazy and yet you ground me when I'm going crazy. You tease me, but you're the first to defend me. You take care of me, but you do it best so that I never feel suffocated. You protect me, but also trust me to take care of myself."

Then, a somewhat more somber look replaces the smile and Jane's heart stumbles in its beat once again.

"Part of what scared me when you decided to move was because I thought you were coming and going like everyone else did before. It just took you longer to 'go'. The same man who asked me about you dared ask me if your absence was to be thanked for my more visible presence at the foundation."

Jane grumbles, "This man wouldn't happen to be the same idiot named Stephen, would it?"

Maura sighs in a mix of amusement and exasperation. "Yes. But I set him straight immediately that your absence was not to be considered a good thing."

A sudden moment of silence descends on the pair as they ruminate over everything spoken.

At least everything that Maura has expressed.

Jane knows it's her turn to say something.

And then Maura continues, apparently not quite done.

"But then...I think a part of me knew—or at least hoped—that you'd continue to be different than everyone else."

"What do you mean?" Jane whispers, as if anything louder would break the spell of intimacy surrounding the two of them in that very moment that felt like they were on the edge of something significant.

"Though I felt like I was bluffing at the time, I told him your absence was temporary."

Jane pulls away to hold her at arm's length in curiosity.

"Was this before or after you decided to give London a try?"

"After, actually. Which greatly surprised me, but I wasn't going to take back what I said then. And as it turns out, you did come back, Jane. Like you always do back in Boston. Everyone else comes and goes. But you…you go and come back."

The weight of Maura's words carried an immense amount of emotion, and coupled with the look in her eyes, Jane would almost swear she deserved none of it.

She admits to be selfish enough to take it.

But Jane's also more honest enough to take it, believe in it, and acknowledge it. More importantly, she's brave enough to return it this time.

And so when Maura leans up to capture her lips, Jane meets her halfway with no hesitation, but full of awe tinged with humility and exhilaration.

Until Jane pulls but a breath away from her to whisper in a somewhat fierce but gentle tone, "I promise you, Maura, to never give you reason to doubt me staying, or to question whether I'll show up every time. And even when I have to leave, no matter what, I'll do everything humanly possible to come back each and every time."

AN2: Thank you so much to all the well wishers. I also really appreciate the ones who tried to tell me to take it easy and at the same time try to encourage me to update soon. It tells me that there are people out there who like what I've come up with enough to feel excited enough to lightly "badger me." Another shout out to the lurkers who take the time to venture out of the shadows to leave a note. Their effort to do so tells me that I must have written something "right" to move them enough to make their mark on my piece. And the same special sort of shout out to the regular folks who never fail to encourage and compliment each chapter I spin out: IsaBabisa, luckypenguinbuddy, henry baker, D3nsei. Thank you. To halfbadgirl: yours has been the review that stood out most, I think. In a good way! It was worded perfectly enough to tell me that I did a good job, but that I could do better. Here's to hoping these last few have sort of made up for it.

Again, let me know if you guys think this story has had its run and if I should pull the plug. Muchos gracias.