Author's Notes: Here we go. It's the moment you've all been waiting for. An M chapter. Consider yourself warned.

I've never posted anything this explicit before, so I'm pretty nervous. I hope it's not horrible. And if it's horrible, please be gentle with me about it. My ego is very fragile.

I admit I got a little self-indulgent with the romance here, which isn't normally my style. As you may have noticed, my preference is to weave in the romance as part of the bigger story. But not this chapter. So think of it as your reward for sticking around this long.

After a lot of soul searching and with permission from Charlotte's mother, I've decided to share the following story with you all.

One night after a school dance about midway through eighth grade, Charlotte Turner kissed me. It was both of our first kisses.

I was so shocked. I had no idea what to say or do, because I didn't feel that way about her. I was straight. I did love her, that much I knew. But I couldn't give her what she was asking for, and I was terrified of hurting her.

While I was sitting there completely dumbfounded, she was jabbering nervously. She said she loved me. She said she had loved me for a long time. And she said she understood if I didn't feel the same way and that if all I wanted was to be friends, we could do that.

Like a dramatic teenager, I burst in to tears. I apologized over and over for not feeling the same way, and told her how much her friendship meant to me, and how the last thing I wanted to do was hurt her. Charlotte was as good as her word. She completely understood, and even though I was the one turning her down, she spent a solid hour hugging me and comforting me.

I continued to feel bad about it for months afterwards. I would bring it up and ask her if she was okay, and she would smile and reassure me that everything was fine.

The last time we talked about it was shortly before she moved, and I asked her yet again if she was hurting because I didn't love her back. I'll never forget what she said to me that day. She laughed and said: "But you do love me, Sally!"

Finally, I understood why Charlotte really was fine. Yes, she loved me as more than a friend. But that didn't mean she didn't also love me as a friend.

I often think that Charlotte Turner understood more about love at the age of fourteen than most of us do in our entire lives.

- An excerpt from To Charlotte, With Love – Bonus Content: Love

On Saturday afternoon Maura's home was filled with Rizzolis, detectives, and podcasters as they celebrated solving their case. Everyone talked and laughed and ate and drank, and by the end of the party, Sally and Henry had been convinced to call Jane and Maura by their first names.

It was still early when everyone began to leave, and soon Jane and Maura were alone in the house again. There was a ball of warmth in Maura's chest that seemed to glow brightly inside her as she set about the task of cleaning up after the party. She felt lighthearted and alive with the love of her friends, family, and above all, Jane. The two of them worked in silence to clean the house, and it was clear Jane was still mulling the case over in her mind. Maura realized then that she knew exactly what she wanted, and she didn't want to wait anymore. But it couldn't happen with Jane in this mood.

She knew the perfect thing to say to make all thoughts of the case flee Jane's mind.

"If only Robbie hadn't met Barker when he went looking for help," sighed Jane regretfully after several long minutes of companionable silence. "The sentencing guidelines for involuntary manslaughter are light, and he was a minor. He could have served his sentence, been released, and then his record would be expunged when he turned 18. Instead, he lived with this terrible secret for ten years, and it killed his brother."

"It's not very often you see a case where the killer isn't the real bad guy," mused Maura, setting a pile of dishes down in the sink. "There were so many factors that led Robbie to this point, you know? It was really just bad luck, when you think about it. He and his brother were born in to a broken family life, so they had a lot more to lose than most of their peers in a wealthy Beacon Hill high school and were therefore predisposed to manipulation by the staff of said school. Then there's the fact that Charlotte had a congenital condition, so a laughably minor injury let to her tragic death in a freak accident. And afterwards the boys happened to run in to possibly the one person in the entire school who presumably had misguided if not downright nefarious intentions, which only exacerbated an already volatile situation. It was pure misfortune from start to finish for those boys."

Jane smiled and walked over to Maura, wrapping her arms around her loosely. Maura instantly forgot about cleaning and returned the embrace, letting her forearms rest casually on Jane's shoulders. "I'm sorry, but did I just hear the esteemed and respected forensic scientist Dr. Maura Isles chalk this one up to bad luck?"

"You did," replied Maura unabashedly. "You see, I've recently come to believe that there are some things on this earth that can't be reasonably accounted for with logic or science."

"For example?"

"For example…" Maura stood on her toes and placed a soft kiss on Jane's lips. "This," she murmured. "You and me. The simple truth of what we have together, which is founded on something that is so fundamental there can be no explanation for it. It would be like trying to describe the color red."

"Hmm," hummed Jane thoughtfully. "And what fundamental truth is that?"

"We like each other," replied Maura. "That's all. I like you, you like me."

"We're a happy family," sang Jane, referencing an annoying song from the children's television program Barney that TJ listened to on repeat.

Maura laughed and sang the next lyrics. "With a great big hug and a kiss from me to you..." A pause as she tightened the hug and kissed Jane again. "Won't you say you like me too?"

"I like you too, Maura," said Jane obediently.

"Move in with me," said Maura abruptly. This was her plan to make Jane forget the case, and it worked like a charm.

"Wha…" stammered Jane, blinking in shock. "Seriously? Maura, we haven't even slept together yet."

"I want to do that, too. Tonight, preferably."

Head spinning, Jane tried to settle on one thing to say. "I thought you wanted to take it slow."

This was a valid concern, and Maura gave it proper consideration. "I see now that we did take it slow, Jane," she concluded. "We've got seven years of history together, even if we weren't a romantic couple. But we've loved each other for all that time, haven't we? Is the love we share now really all that different? Only now it's growing exponentially by the day. It's like you said—we know this is going to work, because it always has worked. Armed with that knowledge, why should we wait any longer to start our lives together?"

"You're asking the wrong girl. I've been ready for the whole nine yards since the moment I first kissed you," admitted Jane. "I love you more with every day that passes, but at its core it is still the same love I've always felt for you. So I agree that we don't need to go any slower. But what if we sleep together and it's crummy? Will you still want me to move in with you?"

"That's a ridiculous question for two reasons. First of all: Yes, because practice makes perfect. And second of all," she tugged a small part of Jane's shirt out from beneath her pants so she could slip her hand underneath it, "it's not going to be 'crummy.'"

"I know," breathed Jane, ducking her head until their lips were just barely brushing together. "Yes, I'll move in with you."

A huge smile came over Maura's face, and Jane couldn't help but return it. "You will?"

"Of course I will. I practically live here already. I haven't been home in a week."

"On the contrary," said Maura, feeling like she was going to cry with joy. "You've been home for a week."

"Oh, that's smooth, Maur," laughed Jane. "Real smooth."

For reply, Maura gave squeal of jubilant glee and leapt up in to Jane's arms, trusting completely that Jane would catch her. With deceptively strong arms, Jane did. She held her firmly in place against her body, and Maura wrapped her legs tightly around Jane's waist. "I totally get it now," Maura said against Jane's neck as she began laying passionate, open-mouthed kisses there. "I get why you pick me up."

"Do you get why I'm going to drop you if you keep doing that?" said Jane, breathing heavily from the combination of carrying Maura and what Maura was currently doing to her. She pulled her head back a little, saying, "Wait, Maura. Look at me." Once their gazes were locked, she asked seriously: "Are you sure about this?"

Without hesitation, Maura replied honestly: "Jane, I've never been this certain about anything else."

Swallowing hard, Jane said, "Okay." She began walking with a purpose towards the master bedroom, Maura's legs still securely wrapped around her. She was re-thinking her position on the general sexiness of face licking, because Maura was now running her tongue along her jawline, and it was making her weak in the knees. Then Maura continued on up to her ear, where she drew her sensitive earlobe in to her warm mouth. Jane groaned at the heavenly feeling, and when they got to the bed she gently lowered them both on to it. Maura let her legs slide away from Jane's hips, but she did not remove her arms from where they were wrapped around Jane's neck.

Following along with their downward motion, Jane stopped herself with her palms on either side of Maura's head, taking a moment to hover over her and check Maura's eyes for any lingering uncertainty. She found none, and instead saw only a burning desire and a love so deep she felt momentarily dizzy as she confronted it and embraced it. It felt like she was falling, but she let it happen because she knew that Maura was right there to catch her. "I love you," she said in a dazzling display of understatement and redundancy, because everything in her heart was plainly displayed for Maura to see.

"I love you too," replied Maura, equally unnecessarily.

The kiss Jane gave her then was one of her favorite kinds, the kind where Jane was smiling so much that teeth kept brushing her lips. Maura put both her hands on either side of Jane's face so she could rest her thumbs in the dips of her dimples, and this only made Jane smile wider. Maura wondered if she'd ever love anything more than she loved that smile.

They spent a long time like this, enjoying the building anticipation and taking their time to soak in the uncomplicated pleasure of their bodies pressed together. When anticipation began to evolve in to impatience, Maura slid her hands down and resumed the task she'd left uncompleted earlier of untucking Jane's shirt, thrilling in the way Jane pulled her hips back enough to let her. Then Maura paused and whispered: "Ask again."

Knowing what she meant, Jane smirked and said, "You want me to take this off?"

"Yes," answered Maura eagerly, nearly cutting off the question before it was completed.

Jane straightened up so she was sitting astride Maura's waist and crossed her arms over her body, lifting her shirt up and over her head. It landed on the floor beside the bed, crumpled and forgotten. Maura sat up too and placed reverent kisses on the center of Jane's bare chest, feeling the rapidly pounding heartbeat against her lips from beneath the skin and bone that sheltered it. Maura loved that bone, the manubrium of Jane's sternum, for it protected the precious heart of this woman who, against all logic and science, loved Maura back completely and selflessly.

Though she'd never been with a woman before, Maura found that the taste and feel of Jane's smooth skin was somehow familiar and comforting, but it was also undeniably exciting. She tasted as much of it as she possibly could as she kissed her way downward to the top of Jane's bra, cataloguing the gradual swell and growing fullness of Jane's chest as flatness led steadily and gracefully to rounded breasts. When she got there, she bit down on the fabric of Jane's utilitarian bra and tugged.

"Um," said Jane breathlessly, "what the hell are you doing?"

"Don't you think it would be sexy if I ripped your bra off with my teeth?" replied Maura sweetly, blinking up at Jane with earnest eyes. But Jane could see the hint of mischief that was Maura's biggest tell, and so she knew Maura was joking.

Responding in kind, Jane said, "No, I think it would be annoying if you destroyed my favorite bra."

Leaning back to survey the garment, Maura raised an eyebrow. "This is your favorite bra?"

"Well I only own five and two of them are sports bras, so it's not exactly a steep competition."

Maura looked absolutely scandalized. "Jane! You only own three bras?" She didn't grace the sports bras with a mention because they did not count.

"Yeah, so?"

Maura slipped her finger under the garment, right in the center between Jane's breasts. Then she pulled outward towards her own body. "I'm ripping this," she explained casually. "And then we're going shopping."

Jane laughed and kissed Maura as she gently took Maura's wrist and pulled her hand away. Then she reached behind her own back and unhooked the bra herself. It fell in their laps between them, and Jane picked it up and tossed it aside. The temperature in the room shot up a hundred degrees as they crossed another threshold in to their new relationship, because no matter how close they had been before this, Jane had definitely never sat topless in Maura's lap before. But now Jane was willingly showing herself to Maura—her nudity and her scars.

Maura took her in with hungry eyes, and Jane let her. She raked her eyes over the expanse of olive skin, drinking in her perfect breasts with their darkened nipples, and when she finally was able to look away from those she noticed the scars. There was the gunshot wound that had almost stolen Jane away from her, and she reached out to run her fingers over it. It was mostly healed now, hardly even a noticeable difference in texture, but Maura would never be able to forget it was there. She wanted to kiss it, wanted to run her tongue along it and thank it for healing and for letting Jane live. That would come later. For now she had other things to think about. She skimmed her fingers up Jane's stomach to her breasts, hefting them in her hands, teasing the nipples in to points by rolling them between her fingertips, watching Jane's eyes slide closed with pleasure as she did. Jane was perfection, she was exquisite. And she was Maura's.

She became vaguely aware that Jane was unbuttoning her shirt. When she'd finished she met Maura's eyes and asked, "May I?"

"Please," responded Maura, aching to feel Jane's bare skin against her own.

Pushing Maura's shirt off her shoulders, she smiled as she saw the lacy black bra that Maura was wearing. "Really, Maur?"

"What?" replied Maura innocently.

"You planned this."

"I did no such thing."

"Sure you didn't. You just woke up this morning and thought, 'Gosh, today I think I'll wear the frilliest, sexiest bra ever created for no apparent reason, not at all because I'm planning to have sex with Jane Rizzoli tonight, no sir not at all.'"

Disregarding the gentle teasing, Maura wrapped her arms around Jane's neck and dropped back against the pillows, pulling Jane along with her. They both moaned as so much of their skin was pressed together by the motion. Maura kissed Jane, then spoke in to her mouth: "Do you really think it's sexy?"

"Uh huh," was all Jane could manage, bringing her hand up to cup Maura's breast over the frilly bra and squeezing gently. She loved the way it fit perfectly in to her hand, and she loved even more the way she could feel the nipple pressing in to her palm through the fabric. She moved down to bring her head level with Maura's chest, and she dragged her tongue down Maura's soft, overheated skin, loving her whimpers and moans and the way she arched against her. As Maura arched upwards Jane used the opportunity to slip her hands beneath her body, working the clasp on her bra as expertly as if she'd done it a hundred times. Slowly, agonizingly slowly, she used one fingertip to push the straps down Maura's shoulders, taking her sweet time in removing the black fabric from Maura's body. When it was finally gone and tossed away, the sound of it landing on the floor was wildly erotic to Jane, and she abandoned her slowness in favor of taking one of Maura's nipples between her lips.

It was the right decision, judging by Maura's gasp and the way she tangled her hands in to Jane's hair and held on tight, again arching against Jane as though to push herself farther inside her mouth. Jane sucked until the nipple was a tight point inside her mouth, then ran her tongue over it in circles, loving its contrasting hardness against the softness of her tongue. She released the nipple and then kissed her way across to the other, this time teasing with the very tip of her tongue before bringing it inside her mouth as well. She pulled away to look down at Maura again, and then she sighed, "God, Maura, you're so beautiful," as though she couldn't believe just how true that statement was.

Overwhelmed, more aroused than she had ever been, Maura tugged at Jane's hair to bring her back up and kissed her urgently, fiercely, imagining that she could taste what Jane had just said to her in that kiss. This time when their upper bodies came together there were no barriers between them, and Jane groaned in to Maura's mouth when the moisture left over on Maura's nipples rubbed over on to her own.

Maura rolled them so that she was lying on top of Jane, and she separated their bodies just enough to be able to reach down and loosen Jane's belt, the clinking of the buckle serving to heighten her awareness of the significance of the moment. They were lingering on another precipice, another barrier they were poised to shatter. She paused to check in with Jane, who smiled encouragingly at her. It was the type of smile she'd seen Jane direct her way thousands of times over the course of their long, extensive friendship, and she took a moment to soak in the rightness of it all, the sense of finality and certainty that settled over them. This wasn't just anyone that Maura was making love with. It was Jane. And that made it so much better.

"You okay?" asked Jane gently as she tucked a strand of Maura's hair back behind her ear, sensing the subtle shift in Maura's mood.

Maura kissed her lovingly and reassuringly. "Yes. I just love you so very much, Jane. I was taking a second to appreciate that."

"Take as many seconds as you need."

"I'm ready now," Maura assured her, and she resumed her assault on Jane's belt buckle. With that finished, she moved on to the button and the zipper on her pants, and then she crawled down Jane's long body to remove them completely, Jane lifting her hips to assist as she did so. She smiled at Jane's panties, deciding to leave them on for the moment. "They don't match," she teased, glancing pointedly at the discarded bra from earlier.

Unashamed, Jane said, "No, they don't. Are you gonna be okay with that or do we need to stop?"

"It's fine," said Maura at once, returning to Jane's lips for a kiss, desperately stifling all talk of stopping. "But we're definitely going shopping this weekend."

"Don't threaten me," growled Jane playfully, and she flipped them over to work on the clasp of Maura's slacks. When she had them open, she made Maura gasp by slipping her hand inside them and cupping her over her panties, moaning when she felt the wetness seeping through the fabric. "Do yours match?" she whispered, her hot breath caressing Maura's lips.

"Yes," said Maura, rolling her hips to create a delicious friction that she felt like she would surely die without. But when Jane began to retreat she whimpered pathetically, grasping her wrist to hold her in place. "Jane, please," she begged. "Touch me."

Jane had never been able to deny anything Maura asked of her, and this was one request she was only too happy to grant. She drew her hand back only enough to slip under the waistband of Maura's panties before returning it to its place to cup Maura again. "Maura," she panted, her heart pounding in her ears. "You're so wet."

"For you, Jane." Maura shifted so her legs were parted, granting Jane even greater access. "Because of you."

Hardly able to breathe, Jane dipped one finger in to where Maura was all moisture and heat, and she felt a rush of corresponding wetness between her own legs at the response she got from Maura. Maura buried her fingers in Jane's hair, holding her so close that her breathing was almost as loud as Jane's own heart pounding in her ears. There was something so sexy about that breathing, knowing that she was the one doing this to the usually cool, collected Maura. Jane knew without a doubt that she had never been wetter than she was right now. She could feel it coating the apex of her thighs.

Jane added a second finger and ran them up and down the length of Maura, finding wetness and warmth everywhere she looked. She mapped Maura out carefully, drawing a picture of her beauty and perfection in her mind. She explored every fold, acquainting herself to this part of Maura without shyness or shame, appeasing her need to know absolutely everything there was to know about the woman she loved more than anything else on this earth. As Jane touched her she held eye contact with Maura, who could barely keep her eyes open through her intense pleasure, but she maintained the connection nonetheless, and her efforts to do so roused in Jane a great swell of love for her.

It was profoundly and almost terrifyingly personal, and Maura felt tears prickle behind her eyes. She'd never had a lover who was so interested in the details of her, but she gave herself over to Jane completely. She willingly let Jane learn all the secrets of her most private areas, comfortable Jane's arms—Jane, who knew her better than anyone on else on this earth and still loved her unconditionally.

When Jane's soaked fingers finally drew slow, tight circles over her clit, Maura cried out and clumsily pulled Jane's mouth to hers, needing to be as close as possible as the storm that had been building within her for years crept ever closer to its breaking point, and when the thunder finally crashed over her in relentless waves it was as though Maura was shattered and then rebuilt, except this version of Maura included a new connection to Jane, shatterproof and permanent.

Jane nursed her back down from the unmatched heights of her climax, raining gentle kisses all over her face and neck and whispering words of love and devotion. There would never be another feeling to match the one that raged within Jane now like a volcano erupting, the feeling of joy and humility and gratitude that she was the one who got to kiss and touch and love this goddess, this woman who was so perfect that she could have anyone, but she'd instead chosen to be Jane's partner, her counterpart, her very best friend.

When Maura recovered she kissed Jane and attempted to keep kissing her while shimmying her hips to pull her own slacks and panties off at the same time. Jane laughed and assisted by adeptly using her toes to hook over the clothes and drop them off the edge of the bed. "Didn't even get to see the matching underwear," rasped Jane, her voice weak in the aftermath of her intense emotional high.

"I own dozens of pairs of matching lingerie, and I intend to let you see them all," Maura assured her, now working on Jane's panties. Jane finished this job too, flicking her foot to fling the underwear off the bed. "I'm glad you see the merit in them, though. I hope that means you'll permit me buy you some."

"Uh huh," agreed Jane as she allowed Maura to roll her on to her back, enflamed all over again by the feeling of their now fully naked bodies pressing together. "It's not a gift for me, it's a gift for yourself. I get it."

"That's right, Detective Smarty-pants. Or should I say, Detective Smarty-panties." Jane was still laughing when Maura kissed her, although it melted away in to one of those heart-stopping smiles that filled Maura with giddy love as the kiss progressed. Maura couldn't keep her hands still, and soon she was systematically exploring all the parts of Jane she'd always wanted to touch—that enticing notch at the base of her throat, her magnificent breasts, those sexy, hardened muscles just beneath the skin of her of abdomen, those alluring trenches in her hips that formed a V. She knew the anatomical name for all these places, but for once she found she had no desire to mentally list them. Instead she preferred to think of each part as simply Jane.

Finally she got to the place that lay at the apex of that V. She waited patiently for permission to touch Jane where she wanted to touch her most, her hand lingering between her legs, already wet from the copious moisture on Jane's inner thighs.

"Yes, Maura," murmured Jane breathlessly against her ear, and Maura continued on.

She loved the way Jane gasped when she finally reached this particular destination. Every place on Jane's body was a destination, but this was different. This was more.

Rational thought fled Jane's mind as Maura touched her, and she allowed herself to simply feel Maura against her, with her, surrounding her, and then, inside her. They stared at one another as Maura slid two fingers inside Jane, both thinking that in all their lives they'd never felt closer to anyone before. They were so connected, so intimately connected. They were there together, and it was wonderful. Jane raised her hips to meet Maura as she pressed up inside her, expertly curling her fingers to reach the spot that was sure to send Jane in to outer space. "Oh god, Maura," cried Jane, her mouth falling open in aroused surprise as Maura found her deep inside. "Don't stop."

This very nearly made Maura come on the spot, but there was no denying Jane's demand so she redoubled her focus on Jane's incredible body. Dipping her head down to kiss and nibble at Jane's neck, she used the cues from Jane's rolling hips to establish a rhythm, loving the way Jane continued to pant and moan her name. When she could tell Jane was close from the way her breathing became sharp and fast and high-pitched, she increased her pleasure by pressing her thumb against Jane's clit and rubbing in time with her thrusts.

Jane exploded in an orgasm so powerful that stars blinked before her eyes, and she coated Maura's hand with a rush of renewed wetness. Maura continued her movements, drawing it out as long as she possibly could, until Jane gently squeezed her shoulder and moved her hips away, signaling that it was time to withdraw. Removing her hand, Maura leaned in and sampled the fine droplets of sweat on Jane's forehead, kissing them gently and tasting their saltiness. For a long time she simply listened to Jane attempting to regain control of her breathing, smiling in satisfaction like a cat stretched out in a patch of sunlight. Finally, she kissed Jane's lips, letting her taste the saltiness too, and then she asked: "Crummy?"

Dissolving in to laughter, Jane hugged her tighter and rapidly peppered every bit of skin she could reach with kisses over and over, soaking in the sound of Maura's giggles, loving the way it sounded from this close. "Nope," she said between kisses. "Nope nope nope nope nope."