Author's Notes: At last, the final chapter! Longer notes at the end.

XxXxX

If the men had any hope things had turned out for the better, that was dashed the minute they returned to the station. One look at Jane's expression was enough to send Gerry quietly to his desk. Frost had caught him up as best he could with the situation, and the older man knew enough to keep quiet. Frost opened his mouth as if to say something to Jane, but settled for shaking his head and sitting down. Jane pretended to be doing paperwork, but cracks in her demeanor were painfully evident. The room was still.

The silence stretched on until Gerry had had enough. Jerking his head at the bag on Frost's desk, he nonchalantly said, "Nice of her to give that to you."

The sound of his voice was so unexpected in the silence that both Frost and Jane looked up in startled surprise. Frost was about to criticize Gerry for bringing up the subject when he saw a flicker in his eyes. Frost nodded imperceptibly.

"Yeah," he agreed, taking the gift from its bag and sitting it on his desk. "I've wanted one of these for ages."

"Didn't you tell me you had one as a kid?"

The question was a lie, but Frost knew where it was going. "When I was younger, yeah. Saved up for a whole year to get one. I'm not embarrassed to say I loved that thing. Everyone had an Autobot. Don't get me wrong, they're fine an' all, but this one?" He pointed to the Chogokan. "That was the finest of fine."

"Let me guess," Gerry said, "you traded it in for an Atari or something."

"Atari? How old do you think I am, man? Nah, we moved and somewhere in between, I lost it. I couldn't believe it. How could I be so careless, you know?"

Gerry commented with a hum. "But hey, you got a second chance."

"Stop," Jane said sharply. "You two are this close to being a Hallmark movie. I get it, okay?"

Frost's face was a picture of innocence. "I don't know what you mean. I'm just telling Gerry about something I lost a long time ago but got a chance to have it again. That's all."

"Uh-huh," Jane snorted, pushing away from her desk. "I screwed up. Is that what you want me to say? I screwed up."

Frost let a few seconds pass, his eyes searching the ceiling for an answer. "Nope," he said at last, "looks like that didn't change anything."

"Screw you," she growled, jutting a finger at him. "You think it's easy? You think I forgot how I felt after 10 years and seeing her again didn't just rip the Band-Aid off? Surprise!" she mock exclaimed. "In typical Jane Rizzoli style, I screwed it up again. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

Frost wasn't deterred by her harsh tone. "No, but maybe it's something she wanted to hear."

His simple suggestion was like a pin in a balloon, and her demeanor slowly deflated.

With a deep sigh, she shrugged, "Maybe I'll get the chance the next 20 times I see her this summer with the ski team."

While it wasn't uncommon for the Olympic team to train on the hills, it took a moment for Frost to decipher the comment. "Wait. She's working with the team?"

Jane plastered an exaggerated smile on her face. "Yay!"

Gerry whistled lowly and Frost whispered, "Shiiit."

With her head in her hands and her dark hair hiding her face, her words were barely heard- "What have I done?"

For once, Frost was at a loss for words. In his place, Gerry decided to speak.

"It's not what you did then, it's what you do now." He snorted at the surprised expressions from Jane and Frost. "What? I have been married for 16 years, ya know? And if there's anything I've learned, it's that the wife never, ever forgets. Ever." He rolled his eyes at a private memory. "But she forgives. Especially if flowers are involved."

Now it was Jane's turn to roll her eyes. "Yeah, okay. I'll just show up with some roses and everything will magically work out."

He shrugged. "You'll probably need to throw in some good foreplay, but I've got some tips if you-"

"Stop right there," Frost commanded. "I really, really don't need to hear the rest. Really."

Gerry shrugged again. "Just sayin', as the guy who's been in a relationship longer than you two schmucks put together."

Neither could deny the facts, so both Frost and Jane remained silent until, as if coming to a silent decision, she stood. Grabbing her keys and checking for her wallet, she had her jacket half on and was nearly at the door before Frost asked, "Where you going?"

Inhaling deeply, she replied, "To a flower shop."

"Get daisies!" Gerry called out as the door closed behind her.

XxXxX

She looked at the folded piece of paper in her hand for the 14th time. Because of her job and familiarity with the ski team, her request for Maura's address didn't raise a single eyebrow. Part of her hoped it would be harder to get- any excuse to not be standing right where she was, outside a nondescript white house in the middle of the afternoon, dark hair whipping around her shoulders in the warm summer wind. But another, newer part of her was learning that avoiding the pain only created more. Still, as she looked down at the flowers in her other hand, she hesitated. Old habits.

"Stupid daisies," she mumbled, cursing her co-worker. Drawing in a deep breath, she pocketed the address and was just about to push the doorbell when she heard a voice behind her.

"Jane?"

Startled, Jane let out a short squeak before turning. "Yeah," she said, drinking in all of Maura. Her brain replayed her reply and she shook her head. "I mean… hey?"

A key was in Maura's hand but she made no motion towards the door. "What are you doing here?"

"Sweating my ass off," Jane automatically quipped. She gave her head another shake. "I just… I thought maybe… can we talk?"

Maura appeared to have a quiet argument with herself over the question. Pressed lips and a furrowed brow spoke volumes of her internal conflict. Finally, to Jane's relief, Maura slid the key into the lock.

"I suppose it's better than freezing our asses off," was all she said.

Jane agreed with a small nod and a smile, a glimmer of hope flickering in her heart. When the door closed behind them, she watched and waited for Maura's lead. Only when the blonde had hung her keys and looked at Jane with mild impatience did Jane hold out the bouquet.

Tentatively, Maura reached for it. Almost shyly, she lowered her nose into the flowers. "Daisies. Interesting choice."

"A co-worker suggested them."

"Barry?"

"No, the other guy. Gerry."

"Mmmm," Maura replied. "Tell him they're lovely."

The cool air of the A/C breezed over her in the most welcoming of ways, but there was a part of Jane that wished it had been winter- any excuse to have layers between her and Maura. Standing in linen pants and a cotton shirt, Jane felt a sense of nakedness and vulnerability under Maura's curious gaze. On one hand, it was what she had come for- to be given the opportunity to stand in front of Maura and make things better, if not entirely right. It was the scenario she had hoped for and practiced in the truck on the way. On the other, one look into those soft hazel eyes swept away all her preparation. Unsure what to say, Jane looked down at her shuffling feet and said the first thing that came to her.

"I haven't been happy."

The words barely floated up to Maura's ears. "Sorry?"

Jane raised her head. Clearing her throat slightly, she said, "You asked me if I had been happy these last 10 years. I didn't get a chance to answer. I haven't. Not… not the way I was with you."

The confession clearly caught Maura off-guard. "Oh," was all she could muster.

The Jane of only a day ago would have deflated at the response and found a way to leave, but on the way over, she had told herself, no matter what happened, this would be her chance to change. So, rather than bolting, she echoed, "Oh?" hoping to encourage something more.

The prompt gently shook Muara from her reverie. "I… wasn't expecting this."

"I know. I should've called. But you know me, running off before thinking it through." Though she smiled, she hoped Maura understood the deeper admission.

If the small arch of her brows was anything to go by, she did.

"Yes."

Jane nodded. Drawing strength from the floor, she plowed ahead. "The thing with your mother… the conversation. I didn't know about it. Obviously." She berated herself with an eyeroll.

"I suppose that makes two of us." Jane frowned her confusion. "In Vancouver. Your conversation with my mother. I never knew." When Jane shrugged her shoulders as if to let Maura off the hook, she shook her head vehemently. "No. Things would have been so much different had I known." To make sure Jane didn't blame herself, Maura quickly added, "My mother shouldn't have meddled. I suppose if there's a silver lining out of all this, she'll never meddle again."

"You really told her off, huh?" When Maura nodded, Jane said, "I wish I had done that. In Vancouver. Things would've been different."

They stood looking at each other for what seemed like an eternity, each wondering how different their lives would have unfolded, what forks in the road would have been chosen differently. Hazel locked with brown, watching the film of another life playing across eyes wet with regretful tears.

And yet there was almost a measure of relief in Jane's eyes. She resolved herself to accept whatever outcome her confession might lead to, and now that it was off her chest, it was as if a weight had been lifted.

"Anyway," she said, breaking the charged silence, "I should go. I just… wanted to say that."

Her hand was on the door knob when she felt a soft touch on her arm.

"Jane."

She turned at her name.

Faced with a curious head tilt, Maura dropped her hand. Now it was her turn to gain strength from the floor. Flicking her eyes up, she ventured, "We can still make it different." Rather than discourage her, Jane's silence prodded her to continue.

"We can't change what happened. But we can change what does."

While hope for a second chance had settled in her heart on the way over, Jane had pushed it down, forcing herself to accept that the goal of the visit was to mend bridges, not build new ones. And, if she was honest, she tamped down the hope out of fear she'd somehow jinx it. But now, seeing her hope reflected in Maura's open gaze, what she had to keep in check was not the hope, but the excitement that flooded through her. Stepping forward, slowly, as if not to startle her, Jane asked, "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" For a woman who prided herself on her vocabulary, it was frustrating when it left her on an emotional precipe with only one word- Action. The word was barely deciphered before her lips were on Jane's.

Jane's muffled response was one of surprise and relief, but while her brain tried to register what was happening, her body reacted, as if to say, 'Duh.' Her hands didn't wait for her head to catch up, immediately threading through silky tresses and pulling the shorter woman closer. A moan more of disappointment than pleasure was the reply, and Jane pulled back.

Before Jane could voice the apology Maura could see in her eyes, she shook her head and looked between them. "The flowers," she all but pouted.

The bubble of laughter that escaped Jane's mouth was a release valve letting out the last vestiges of uncertainty. "I'll buy you more flowers."

Maura smiled and lowered her nose into the bouquet. Without glancing up, she said, "There is so much we need to talk about."

Jane sighed, not out of frustration but out of understanding. As much as she wished they could just rewind back 10 years and pretend nothing had happened, she knew that was impossible, and that thinking otherwise would only hurt in the end. 'Baby steps,' she told herself. She had just kissed Maura which was already 100 times more than what she had expected when she had first shown up at the house. Anything after that would be icing, and that gave her the confidence to wait.

She didn't have to wait long.

It's not that Maura didn't know they needed to talk- hell, she was the one who said it. She knew just as well as Jane that so much of their pain was caused by the lack of communication, but there was something in Jane's eyes when Maura looked up from the flowers. A quiet confidence that sparked a fire in Maura. She had the flowers down and Jane against the door before Jane could register a response beyond a muffled, "Mmmm!"

Maura allowed a sliver of space between their lips. "We have 10 years to talk about, Jane. And we will. But I don't think I can wait that long right now."

The words and the way they bordered on near-desperation flooded Jane with warmth and stole her breath. Whatever she had left was stolen by Maura's hungry kiss. Her hands went up, an act both meant to touch Maura's hair again and to maintain her balance. She felt Maura's smile against her lips but she didn't care if there was an element of teasing behind it. If she had to take a hit to her pride in order to have Maura in her arms, it was a small price to pay. Hell, she'd agree to just about anything to feel Maura's finger tips edging the seam of her shirt the way she was doing now.

Maura's sigh was a soft one, as soft as the warm skin she found under the shirt. Jane's mirrored sigh emboldened her to press her fingers flatter against Jane's taut abdomen and curl around her waist, tickling a drumbeat that promised everything Jane could hope for. When Jane reached for the buttons on Maura's thin shirt, she was surprised when a hand left her hip to stop her.

"Later," Maura whispered deliciously. "There's a debt I need to repay, first."

If this is what Gerry meant by a woman being able to forgive if not forget, Jane was all for it.

As if she had heard Jane's unspoken thought, Maura smiled against Jane's throat. Lips hovered there, a bit here, nuzzled everywhere before trailing to the bottom of the V that Jane's collar created. While popping the polo's buttons didn't do anything to help get Maura's mouth closer to her goal, it did help her get the shirt over Jane's head, exposing the modest white bra underneath, so ultimately, it gave her the same result. Jane's neck was always a secret favorite of Maura's, and she used her fingers to map all the reasons why: the way it held her head so high and proud, the way it led down to collarbones that were minor obstacles to the dip between Jane's breasts. Jane's eyes were torn between watching Maura's gaze follow her fingers, and doing the same.

Maura hooked her index finger into the dip and tugged at the bra.

"Did you want something?" Jane asked, her bravado still at the surface.

Maura's thumbs grazed over hard nipples, and looked up with a smoldering arch to her eyebrow. "Did you?"

And just like that, the bravado was gone. Reaching back, she removed the bra in record time, much to Maura's mirth. Jane's shoulders hit the door before the bra hit the floor. A protest against Maura's laughter was cut short when Maura's thumbs were replaced by her mouth.

A sound that was a cross between an expletive and a moan escaped the throat so wantonly coveted by Maura, but the blonde was already moving away from the sound. Cupping Jane's breasts, Maura nipped her way down a body that was arching forward for more with every kiss. Maura counted each rib with her tongue, making Jane squirm, until she was so low that there was nothing else for Maura to do but get on her knees. Jane looked down, but there was no benediction in the fiery gaze that met hers. Another moan rippled past her lips.

If it had been anyone else, Jane would have worried that Maura didn't know what she was doing, for she sat back so long on her knees doing nothing but roaming her hands over Jane's lower half. Around the curve of her ass, behind her knees, curling around her calves, then up the front of her thighs and around again, over and over, each pass increasing in their pressure, as if the movements themselves were ratcheting up the intensity. If Jane's breathing was anything to go by, it was working. Jane's hands, uncertain of what to do with themselves, blindly reached down for Maura's and brought them to the top of her pants, her silent invitation- plea?- as loud as if she had shouted it out.

Complying without hesitation, Maura pulled at the seam until the button popped free of its hole, though she began to undo the zipper with less haste. Jane's growled protest did nothing to quicken Maura's action, in fact, quite the opposite. The room was silent except for Jane's ragged breath, Maura's appreciative hum and the sound of the zipper being drawn down, one aching tooth at a time. Drawing on patience from God knows where, Jane let her head rest back against the door and willed herself to savor the moment while Maura worked her magic, starting with unlawful increments by which she was removing Jane's pants. When they were finally down to her ankles, Jane all but kicked them off.

Maura's mouth twitched in amusement, but there was nothing but honesty when she spoke. "I see why they don't let you wear shorts to work." She reverently ran her hands up Jane's legs. "Nothing would ever get done."

"Don't make me think of Frost and Gerry leering at my legs, okay?" Jane asked. "Especially right at this very moment."

The smile that threatened to make its appearance finally did. "Agreed. I wouldn't want your mind anywhere but here." She punctuated her words by lightly snapping the elastic in Jane's panties.

"Tease."

"You have no idea."

The words and the way she said them almost made Jane's knees buckle. The truth was, she did have an idea. It might have been a decade old idea, but it was clear as day what this woman could do with her hands and her mouth. An accusation became an appeal.

"Please."

While there may be times when Maura would make Jane ask twice, this wasn't going to be one of them. She hooked her thumbs into the band and made short work of the garment, the article of clothing landing somewhere over her shoulder, to Jane's amusement.

"I better find those later."

A quip died on Maura's lips as the moment and what it meant seemed to surprise her. When her mouth moved closer, it wasn't to where Jane had anticipated it to go, but rather just above her navel. Maura's hands tenderly curled up Jane's back, and to Jane's concern, it felt like tears on her abdomen.

"Hey," Jane said, gently reaching down to stroke Maura's hair. "You don't have to do this. We don't have to do this. There's no rush." She felt Maura's head shake under her hands.

Maura pulled back far enough to look up into Jane's face. "It's not that," she promised. "It's just… here we are and I'm wondering if it's a dream."

"Oh, it's not a dream," Jane assured her. "I've had this dream and it was never this good."

The line was delivered so dryly that Maura burst out laughing. "Is that so? Well I hope I don't disappoint."

"I'm willing to bet-" Jane's voice caught when she felt Maura's tongue flick below her belly button. Then lower. "-you won't."

Drawing her arms to the front, Maura skirted the back of her fingers along Jane's pelvic bone until they edged coarse hair, where thumbs gently revealed Maura's prize. Reverently, Maura's tongue curled out to claim it, tip meeting tip. A simple touch that sent a ripple of pleasure through both women. Hands that had been so gently threaded through hair now reflexively clenched, pulling Maura closer, a silent demand she was only too willing to fulfill.

"Yes," Jane breathed, "right there. Right… mmmm…"

Her hips jerked forward and Maura encouraged them by reaching around to cup Jane's ass while her mouth short-circuited Jane's brain. She took everything and gave everything, and it would have been something for Jane to mull over if she'd been able to have the ability to think. But right now, in that moment, all she could do was feel. Feel Maura's hair in her hands. Maura's mouth on her center. Maura's hum against her clit. Maura's-

"Shit!" Jane's head hit the door hard, but she didn't notice; her singular focus was on the deft finger that was buried inside her. "Sn-sneaky." She could feel Maura's chuckle all the way up to her sternum.

"Should I be… more sneaky?"

Though Maura couldn't see her, she offered a lazy grin at the double entendre. "Be as sneaky as you want, babe."

The endearment rolled off Jane's tongue and went right to Maura's heart. She rewarded Jane by having a second finger join the first. Jane welcomed the new intrusion with a moan and another jerk of her hips.

"You may have to help me," Maura said. "I'm out of practice."

"God, if this is what you can do when you're… oh christ… out of practice…" Jane forced her brain to clear at least long enough to look at Maura, whose expression was one of feigned innocence. "That's what I-" The fingers curled inside her. "I thought."

Maura had always been the more expressive of the two in bed. Had it not been for her, Jane was sure she'd still be thinking the missionary position was the only option. But several years sharing the same bed gave Jane the knowledge and the confidence to expand beyond her limited expectations. There hadn't been a surface- horizontal or vertical- in her college room that hadn't been a participant in her sexual awakening. She was allowed to, and allowed herself, express her wants and desires through words, touches and expressions. Maura wasn't shy about doing the same. Jane was happy knowing 10 years didn't change that.

"What?" Maura purred demurely.

"Uh-huh. I recognize that look."

"What look?"

Rather than answer in words, Jane replied in action by slowly grinding down on Maura's hand. If the darkening of Maura's eyes was anything to go by, Jane knew she had been right all along. While she had never had the courage to do this for anyone else, she knew helping herself get off set Maura on fire. The way Maura briefly clenched her legs together was only more proof, and that fed back into Jane's action. It was a cycle that could only be broken one way.

"Your… your…" She couldn't get the words out over the sensations that were flooding through her body.

Maura didn't need further direction. Taking one last look at Jane's taut body, rigid as a bow, Maura lowered her mouth and pressed her tongue flat against Jane's clit. The tug on her hair was enough to make Maura wince, but she didn't relent, instead pressing harder as Jane arched and bucked against her mouth and around her fingers.

Jane's hamstrings burned at the effort, but the pleasure between her legs overrode everything. Nothing else mattered but the long fingers that reached every corner she thought was untouchable, the mouth speaking an ancient language of love against her heat, the woman who held her body and her heart in her hands. Tears pricked at her eyes, but even they couldn't distract her from the white hot pleasure that was so intense that it burned to a single point until it-

"Fuck! God, Maura… fuck... " Her words became a babble of expletives and Maura's name, of benedictions to God and the woman on her knees. The cords in her neck strained as her head craned back, like a drowning woman stretching up for air. Knuckles were white in blonde hair and knees buckled in relief.

Maura gently helped her to the floor. Spent, Jane held on to her life preserver, unashamed that she needed one. Maura soothed her with gentle strokes down her back and soft murmurs in her ear.

"I've been waiting 10 years for that," Jane said into Maura's shoulder when she finally found her voice again.

"It's been a long time," Maura agreed.

Burying her face deeper, Jane said, "No, I mean…" Coming back to reality, she was too self-conscious now to finish the thought. She should have known Maura would catch it for her.

"You mean…" She lifted Jane's head and tried to look into embarrassed eyes. "You mean no one's done that for you in 10 years?!"

"Well," Jane shrugged, hoping to deflect the truth, "when you've had the best…"

Maura's eyes sparkled. "Very good save."

"And I had a really good vibrator."

It got the laughter that Jane had wanted, and the two women knelt together, bodies draped around each other. When the mirth faded, Jane decided to address the elephant in the room, not because she was worried about the answer, but because she felt good about the possibilities.

"So what now?"

Though Maura knew what Jane was asking, she offered a simple shrug. "Now we eat. I'm starving." When the words hit her ears, she held up a finger. "No puns, please."

Jane smiled, but pressed the point. "Maura…"

Maura drew in a deep breath. "Then we talk. Then we do this again."

She didn't have to define what 'this' was.

If Jane felt good about the possibilities before, she was positively giddy about them now. "Okay," she nodded. "Eat. Talk. This." Maura rolled her eyes at the simple list, but accepted Jane's hand as they both stood. "Think maybe we can do this in a bed, though? My knees aren't what they used to be."

"Hey, I'm the one with the old ski injury."

The reference to the past didn't hurt as much as Jane thought it would. Instead, she smiled and asked again, "Can we?"

Maura couldn't help but mirror the grin. "We can."

And they did.

-FIN

Author's Notes: I had visions of this going in a longer direction when I first started writing it a year ago, but that's what happens when you leave it too long! I was desperate to finish it because I hate leaving things incomplete and I think the story-telling suffered because of it. Loose ends that I meant to use to fill the story were sacrificed to bring the story to a close and it feels both rushed and meandering at the end. Lessons learned- I won't be posting stories unless they are damn near complete! Now that this one's done, I feel like a weight's been lifted and maybe I can move forward on one or two (or three!) other Jane/Maura stories I have bouncing around my head! My thanks to all who stayed with it or came late and decided to give it a chance.