I'm so sorry this has taken so long to get up! I had about half of this written and then poof! The document disappeared from my computer. Like, it was there and saved and when I opened my laptop after work, it was gone!

I hope you enjoy this chapter, which does feature some sexy times. In case any of ya'll wanna skip that, it's the first section. It's really just gratuitous sex.

"Maura, I know you said you'd be cool with wearing a blindfold but I'm not so sure how I feel about wearing one."

"Oh, hush," Maura laughed as she continued to guide a blindfolded Jane down into her basement. "We're almost to the surprise."

"Is it the underground lair where you keep the bodies of the men you slay?" Jane asked with a grin. "Cuz I think you going all Black Widow and stuff is kinda hot but I really don't want to have to arrest you again."

"I can assure you that you'll never find the bodies of anyone I have ever slayed," Maura teased.

It had been just over a week since receiving the package from Maura's parents and Jane had been working on finding a better balance between work and time with Maura. Though she did occasionally skip lunch or focus on a case instead of the movie Maura suggested they watch, both women were loving the balance.

"Are we there yet?" Jane whined.

"Almost," Maura smiled as she opened a door to a large room and guided Jane into it. "Alright, we're here. You can take the blindfold off."

Jane eagerly yanked the blindfold off and allowed her eyes to take in the room Maura had guided her into. It was a large room with walls painted a sky blue color. On the far wall there were several large mirrors that reflected the sight of an expansive free weight set. The left wall housed a speaker system and a treadmill while the right wall housed the human shaped punching bag Korsak and Frost had given Jane.

"Maura," Jane breathed as she finished taking in the room.

"Surprise," Maura said shyly as she wrapped an arm around Jane's midsection, standing next to her. "I wanted you to have a special place just for you in our home. A place you can go to let of steam or just listen to music that I will not enter without your permission."

"You did this for me?" Jane asked. "Like, you didn't already have the room set up and just added my punching dummy to call it mine?"

"This room was completely empty and white walled," Maura smiled. "I suppose a more traditional man cave would be more appropriate but I don't have a room large enough to fit a sizable entertainment system, plus a foosball table, plus a large couch. We can add more workout equipment since I wasn't sure which pieces you prefer. I hope you like this, though."

"You did this for me," Jane repeated, though this time as a statement and not a question.

"I did," Maura confirmed.

Maura couldn't stop the gasp of surprise she let out when Jane quickly pressed their lips together for a frantic kiss. Jane's hands tangled in Maura's hair as her tongue immediately slid into Maura's mouth and, after a moment of shock, Maura's hands wrapped around Jane's waist and held their bodies tightly together.

Jane's hands slid down to tug at the zipper at the back of the dress Maura hadn't yet changed out of. Once it was down as far as it could go, Jane pushed the shoulders down eagerly until gravity took over and the garment fell to the floor.

"Jane," Maura gasped as she felt strong hands slip in between their bodies and run up to begin gentle ministrations on her breasts. "We should go—oh, upstairs," she managed to say.

"Nope," Jane grinned as she began to kiss her way down Maura's neck. "What better way to christen this room than by doing this?" she asked.

Maura didn't have time to respond before she saw Jane drop to her knees and place gentle kisses along the waistband of Maura's panties.

"Sweetie," Maura said gently as she tilted her head to look down at Jane, stifling a moan as she saw those dark curls between her legs. "You don't have to do this," she smiled as she ran her hands through the top of Jane's hair. Though they had been intimate, a time hadn't yet arisen for Jane to perform orally on Maura and the doctor wanted Jane to know she didn't have to if she wasn't sure.

"I wanna do this," Jane smirked as she pulled nude colored lace down to Maura's ankles, helping the blonde step out of them before returning her attention to the thick wetness at her eye level. She leaned in closely and inhaled deeply. "Shit, you smell so good."

Maura made a sound of acknowledgement, her eyes fluttering closed as she anticipated Jane's first touch.

"Maura," Jane said reverently, prompting Maura to open her eyes and look down at Jane, their gazes locking. "This room means more to me than you know. Thank you."

And with that, Jane made a broad and firm lick from Maura's opening to her clit, using the tip of her tongue to swirl around the hard nub before repeating the motion of a firm lick and a teasing circle.

Maura moaned as she felt Jane's mouth covering her, not realizing how much she had been looking forward to this until that very moment. Her hands tightened slightly in Jane's curls as she subconsciously held Jane's mouth tightly against her.

Thankful for her detective training, Jane was able to notice the movements that made Maura gasp a bit louder and repeat them frequently. Just when she thought she'd managed to lap up all of Maura's wetness, more would appear and Jane was certain this was an activity she'd be performing many more times in the future.

"Jane," Maura moaned as she felt the woman in between her legs wrap her lips around her clit and begin to suckle gently.

"Hmm?" Jane hummed, never taking her lips from Maura's clit and sending pleasure filled vibrations through Maura.

"Inside of me," Maura requested. "Please. I need you inside of me."

Smirking around Maura's clit, Jane slid her left hand from where it was massaging a pale thigh and happily slid two fingers into Maura.

Maura sighed contentedly as Jane's fingers began a leisurely pace in and out, stroking her walls with each thrust. Jane began to alternate sucking gently on Maura's clit and simply running the tip of her tongue around it, not wanting Maura to fall off the edge just yet.

Soon Maura's hips began a subtle rocking motion, urging Jane to thrust deeper and suck harder as her moans grew louder.

"So good," Maura moaned as she felt Jane curl her fingers.

Maura's sounds served as the encouragement Jane needed to begin to piston her fingers rapidly, her lips sealing around Maura's clit and sucking insistently as she focused on finally bringing Maura over the edge.

"Oh, shit," Maura gasped. "You're gonna make me come," she warned Jane, though the detective needed no warning. The trembling of Maura's thighs that had begun was warning enough that the blonde was close. And less than a minute later, Maura's hands tightened their grip on brunette curls as she cried Jane's name out, thighs trembling wilding as her orgasm slammed into her full force.

Jane began to slow her movements, eventually pulling her fingers from Maura and gently running her tongue around lightly to capture any excess moisture.

"You okay?" Jane asked smugly as she noticed Maura's thighs twitch slightly.

Maura could only nod.

Smiling, Jane quickly wiped her face with the back of her hand before gathering Maura's dress and undergarments in her arms and, upon standing, gathered Maura into her arms as well.

"Thank you," Maura murmured as she wrapped her arms around Jane's neck for stability as the detective began to walk back upstairs.

"Thank you," Jane countered as she pressed a kiss to Maura's hair.

"Jane, are you sure you're okay with this?"

"Yes," Jane laughed as she turned to look at Maura. "I hated having my photo taken as a kid and I hate dumb posed photos for publicity but I'm really excited to do this photo shoot with you."

"It's okay if you're not," Maura said.

"Well, we're kinda sorta in the parking lot of the park Amanda suggested we meet at so this shoot is gonna happen whether I'm excited or not," Jane pointed out.

"We could always just ask her to join us for lunch or coffee," Maura pointed out.

"Maura," Jane smiled as she reached over the center console of the car and grasped Maura's hand. "I want to do this with you. I want to have these photos hanging up in your house and finally have an excuse to keep your photo in my wallet."

"Our house," Maura corrected. "And what do you mean have an excuse to keep my photo in your wallet?"

"Well, ya know. Everybody keeps photos of their loved ones in their wallet. Frost has photos of his dad, his moms, and young cousins. Korsak has some of his dogs. Ma has photos of all three Rizzoli kids, plus one of you. And I have a group shot of Frankie, Tommy and I plus a photo of Ma and I. But I always felt it would be weird if I had one of you in my wallet since we were just friends."

"And you want to keep one of the photos taken today in your wallet?" Maura asked.

"Yeah," Jane smiled as she brought Maura's hand to her lips to kiss it gently. "So I'll always have it with me. Always have you with me."

"You're such a softie," Maura teased.

"Don't tell anyone," Jane smiled. "You ready to head on out? Amanda said she'd meet us at the gazebo."

"Let's go," Maura instructed as she exited the passenger side of the car and met Jane at the front, lacing their fingers together as they strode towards the white gazebo in the park. They each had brought a change of clothes as Amanda suggested but left them in the car until needed.

Jane opted to wear a pair of dark blue skinny jeans that Maura had helped her choose a few months back paired with a red sweater, opting for a sweater instead of button down in the November chill. She tucked the ends of her skinny jeans into a pair of more fashionable boots that her usual and left her hair down. Maura was also starting the day in skinny jeans, though hers were a few shades lighter. Her top was a cream colored blouse with a black blazer pulled on for a bit more warmth.

"I dunno if I've told you this, but I really love the way you look in jeans," Jane teased as they walked into the deserted gazebo and sat down close to each other as they waited for Amanda.

"Really?" Maura asked, turning to face Jane. "The fact that you stared at me for the duration of breakfast and kept your hand very high on my thigh the entire drive here gave me no inkling of that whatsoever."

"Ya know, I'm not sure if I like all the sass you seem to have squired over the course of our friendship," Jane pointed out.

"You love it."

"I do," Jane smiled as she leaned over to give Maura a quick kiss. "And I love you."

"I love you, too," Maura smiled. "But we are officially being 'that couple' and acting all cutesy in public."

"Gross," Jane smiled as she wrapped an arm around Maura's shoulders. "Good thing we're an hour from Boston in a park where we can be mushy gushy."

"Very good thing," Maura laughed. "How are your hands feeling? I know that the chilly weather can sometimes cause them pain."

"They're surprisingly alright," Jane noted. "But maybe when we get home we can snuggle in a hot bath and you can massage them."

Before Maura could reply, soft footsteps on the stairs into the gazebo prompted them to look away from each other and greet a smiling Amanda.

"Hey," the young woman said. "I just wanna say I'm glad I didn't totally creep you out by sending you that letter."

"Hi," Maura smiled as she stood up to shake Amanda's hand. "And we're both very glad you reached out and weren't creeped out at all."

"Yeah, I think it'll take a lot more than that to creep us out after all the stuff we've seen," Jane laughed as she, too, rose to her feet to greet their photographer with a handshake.

"I'm really sorry about what happened with Rodger," Amanda said nervously. "I mean, I worked with the guy for months and he just seemed like your typical socially awkward middle aged dude. I'm glad he's in jail but I'm sorry you guys got hurt."

"It's in the past," Maura smiled as she laced her fingers with Jane's and gave a soft squeeze. "I'm sorry that your plans to save up for film school in California were put on hold."

"I'm actually glad that happened. I've been doing more photography stuff and I'm realizing I'd rather be doing that than doing film stuff," Amanda said with a smile. "So I guess it's good that I didn't move across the country to start a degree I'm not 100% certain of."

"Well, some good came on our end, too," Jane smiled. "So it looks like us coming out to New Haven wasn't a total bust," she added with a laugh.

"What was the good that came on your end?" Amanda asked.

"Maura and I weren't a couple when we were on the show," Jane explained. "We were just best friends but, uh, after winning the show and talking about what happened with Rodger, we decided to give a relationship a try. And it's been pretty great," she said proudly.

"Okay, so, you guys are gonna have to tell me your real story during this shoot," Amanda demanded with a smile. "How you met, first date, embarrassing stories, all of that."

"We can do that," Maura smiled. "But I'm not sure we have too many embarrassing stories."

"That you know of," Jane teased before turning to Amanda. "Where did you want us to start this photo shoot?"

"We can start right here in the gazebo for some seated shots," Amanda smiled. "If you guys just wanna have a seat like you were when I got here, I'll get my camera up and running."

"What do you mean we don't have any embarrassing stories that I know of?" Maura asked after a moment of shock.

"Well, there was the time after you donated your kidney and were still kinda drugged up in the hospital room," Jane smirked as she sat back down, tugging on Maura's hand to bring her next to her. "It was really quite entertaining."

"I don't remember anything," Maura said with her eyebrows furrowed.

"Cuz you were higher than a kite," Jane laughed. "And gave the nurses and I a lovely rendition of Piano Man by Billy Joel."

"She didn't!" Amanda piped up as she attached a lens to the body of her camera.

"Please tell me I didn't," Maura said, though a smile tugged at her lips.

"I may or may not have a video recording that proves you did, in fact, serenade me," Jane grinned. Maura's eyes widened as she looked up at Jane's smirk. "I love you," Jane laughed as she kissed Maura's forehead. "And I promise that only my Ma has seen that video."

"If I find out that anyone else has seen it, you will never get cuddles for the rest of your life," Maura threatened.

"The rest of my life?" Jane asked, widening her eyes comically.

"Yes, perhaps even in the afterlife as well," Maura smiled.

"You wouldn't!" Jane gasped with exaggerated drama.

"You're right," Maura laughed. "I wouldn't."

Both women laughed as Jane wrapped an arm around Maura's shoulder and pulled her close.

"You guys are gonna give me a cavity," Amanda laughed as she pulled the camera strap over her neck and then threw her bag with spare batteries and lenses over her shoulder.

"How are we going to do that?" Maura asked.

"She means cuz' we're so sweet and mushy gushy," Jane smiled.

"Oh," Maura said, mentally filing away the expression in her mind.

"Alright, so, this park is one of my all-time favorite places to shoot photos," Amanda explained. "We've obviously got this gazebo, but there's also some trails in the wooded area if you wanna do that. There's an old fashioned bright red barn that they renovated to use for selling hot drinks and snacks that we can pose you against and there's a playground if we wanted to get some goofy shots on the swings or teeter-totter."

"We also each brought a change of clothes as you suggested," Maura noted.

"Well, Maura brought a dress to change into and different shoes and I brought a different shirt," Jane corrected.

"Awesome. We can do the trails and playground in these outfits since you're both in jeans and then for the shots against the barn, you can change. That sound like a plan?"

Both Maura and Jane nodded and smiled, looking to Amanda for direction.

The young photographer quickly began to give directions, angling both women towards each other so she could capture their profiles as they gazed at each other, dimples on display as they smiled widely.

Throughout the poses in the gazebo—looking at each other, looking directly at the camera, facing away from the camera to look out over the park, and more—Jane was often the one to make a goofy face or crack a joke, causing all three women to laugh and giving Amanda the chance to take more candid photos of the couple as Maura attempted to scold Jane into behaving.

As they walked through the trails in the wooded areas and in between photos, Jane and Maura entertained Amanda with their real story. How they met, memories of their friendship, and their recent change from friends to girlfriends while in New York.

"Well, when you guys get married and need an engagement or wedding photographer, you know who to call," Amanda smiled as she snapped a photo of the couple sitting on a bench, Maura perched sideways on Jane's lap.

"Deal," Jane stated. "Ya know, Maura thinks she's gonna pop the question before I do," Jane teased. "She's crazy, right?"

"I dunno," Amanda said with a smile. "The doc seems like she could be pretty sneaky. She might pull a fast one on ya."

"Thank you for having my back, Amanda," Maura grinned as she slid from Jane's lap and reached her hand out to lace with Jane's as they continued their walk towards the playground.

Once at the playground, Jane tugged Maura towards the large tire swing that hung horizontal to the ground and helped her in before sitting across from her and beginning to get the swing moving, both women smiling as the wind blew their hair and kept them oblivious to Amanda and her camera.

They continued to laugh as they took turns standing on the merry go round while the other spun it, trading places before moving to the large tic-tac-toe game where Jane spun the blocks to show only O's, informing Maura that meant the Universe was telling her that they should kiss. Maura gasped against Jane's lips when the detective dipped her slightly, knowing Amanda would enjoy that photo.

After the playground, they returned to the car to grab their change of clothes and were shown the bathrooms by Amanda. Maura changed into the yellow sundress she had purchased while in New York City and Jane replaced her sweater with a Heather grey dress shirt with subtle yellow pinstripes that Maura had encouraged her to purchase.

Amanda greeted them at the back of the rustic looking red barn and began to take more traditional photos of the duo. Standing a few feet apart with their hands clasped together, standing pressed against each other with their noses touching, and several other simple shots of the women both up close and full body.

Just as Amanda went to tell them her memory card was almost full, Jane looked and Maura and quickly looked back to Amanda.

"Do you think we could re-create the photos we took on the show? Like, with Maura in my arms and giving me a kiss on the cheek?" Jane asked.

"Yeah, we can totally do that," Amanda smiled.

"Can I sweep ya off your feet?" Jane asked with a wink.

Maura simply nodded, loving Jane even more for asking to re-create the photo that had once caused Maura pain in order to replace that pain with love.

Jane easily scooped Maura up, holding her bridal style as Maura place a kiss to Jane's dimple. Amanda took a few photos, capturing it at various angles and levels of distance, before letting her camera rest on the strap around her neck.

"I've got some really good shots," Amanda informed them.

"I'm not surprised," Jane said as she walked towards Amanda with Maura still in her arms. "I mean, we've seen your work and it's amazing."

"If you want, we can grab my laptop from my car and go over the images right here in the barn coffee shop," Amanda suggested. "You can tell me which ones you like best so I can focus on touching those up. Or you guys can just wait and be surprised in about a week when I get the digital copies to you."

"How about we go into the coffee shop and just chat?" Maura suggested from Jane's arms. "I would like to be surprised when you send us the photos but I think we could all enjoy a warm drink and a snack."

"Do they have brownies or anything chocolate-y in the shop?" Jane asked Amanda.

"They have the best fudge brownies I've ever had," Amanda gushed. "And they're huge. Ridiculously huge."

"Can I get a brownie, Maura?" Jane asked teasingly. "Pretty please?"

"Put me down and we'll talk," Maura laughed.

"If anyone ever tries to tell me that there is a better way to spend your Saturday evening off than in a steamy bath with your steamy girlfriend, that person would be a very big idiot," Jane mused as she relaxed against the back of Maura's large bathtub and pulled Maura to relax fully against her.

"I'm inclined to agree with you," Maura smiled as she closed her eyes and sank into Jane's strong embrace.

Jane began to hum an absent minded tune as she allowed her eyes to travel to the edge of the bathtub. Maura's hair and body products were sitting on the edge of the tub at the front and Jane smiled when she saw her own bar of Dove soap and her shampoo and conditioner next to Maura's products. Moving in with Maura had been taking them time as they worked long hours and often were too tired to move very quickly but already Jane was enjoying life in what was now their house.

"What are you thinking about up there?" Maura asked, her eyes remaining closed.

"How much I love seeing my stuff mixed in with your stuff," Jane admitted as she pressed a kiss to the crown of Maura's head.

"I love seeing that, too," Maura replied.

"Can I ask you something?" Jane asked softly.

"I was just about to ask if I could ask you something," Maura laughed softly. "But you can always ask me anything, anytime without preamble."

"Wait, you wanna ask me something?" Jane said. "You go first."

Maura knew it was pointless to debate with Jane over who should speak first so she simply began to speak.

"It's a bit short notice, I know, but my mother sent me an e-mail today asking if she could come to Boston for Thanksgiving. We have about two weeks until the holiday and she was wondering if her and my father were welcome. I told them that Thanksgiving is hosted here and that my house would be overcome with our hodge-podge of a family and that I would ask you and Angela if two more could be added to the guest list."

"Really?" Jane asked. "Your parents want to come here and spend the holiday with you?"

"Yes," Maura said with a content smile. "She offered to come in the day before Thanksgiving and leave on Sunday so, unless we're swamped with cases, we could have some time together. Time that is just my parents and I as well as time for the four of us to spend together."

"I'm certain Ma would love to have your folks join us," Jane replied. "You know she cooks enough food to feed an entire empire so that won't be a problem."

"So, my parents are coming to Boston for Thanksgiving?"

"Yeah," Jane smiled as she pressed another kiss to Maura's hair. "You're parents are coming to Boston to celebrate Thanksgiving with their amazing daughter."

"I'm not feeling my typical nerves that come when it comes to my parents," Maura stated.

"That's good!" Jane praised.

"What is it you wanted to ask me?" Maura asked.

"Oh," Jane said with a nervous laugh. "It's kinda weird since we were just talking about your parents and stuff."

"Come on, Jane," Maura encouraged. "Tell me. Please?"

"It's about sex," Jane admitted, prompting Maura to laugh softly. "Okay, why are you laughing at me?"

"Sorry," Maura smiled as she placed her hands over Jane's and squeezed them gently. "You just sound so nervous to talk about sex. I'm sorry for laughing. Continue, please."

"I was just wondering if, uh, when we're having sex if…" Jane trailed off, feeling a steady blush rising in her cheeks. "I was wondering if there's anything you miss. Anything you…crave."

"You're taking about a-"

"Yes," Jane quickly interrupted, not wanting to hear Maura finish that sentence. "I just wanna make sure you're not wanting anything that I can't give you."

"Technically, if I were to be craving that sensation, you could give it to me. The range of options that exists for same sex couples in regards to intimacy is quite extensive," Maura said with a smile. "So don't try to think that this is something that falls into the 'Things Jane Can't Give Maura' category."

"Okay, but you still didn't answer my question," Jane pointed out. "If you're missing anything when we're having sex."

"You're an exceptional lover," Maura complimented.

"Well, thank you," Jane laughed.

"There are certain days where I crave a fuller penetration than just fingers but please understand that my body's desire for that has nothing to do with you not satisfying me," Maura thought out loud. "Some studies have linked a woman's hormone levels to her desire for penetration, regardless of their typical sexual activities."

"So there are times where you miss that feeling," Jane said.

"I don't think I would say I miss that feeling," Maura mused. "I think the word crave is best for this situation. It is a craving that I sometimes have, not a constant feeling of missing the sensation."

"Is it something you want us to…experiment with?" Jane asked tentatively.

"If you felt comfortable exploring the addition of novelty items into our intimacy, I would want it, yes," Maura said as she laced her fingers with Jane's and squeezed. "But only if you were to feel absolutely positive and weren't just doing it to please me."

Jane tilted her head down and nuzzled into the crook of Maura's neck, mumbling something against the pale skin.

"What was that?" Maura laughed as she tried to decipher the mumbles.

"I wanna try some stuff," Jane said, only barely removing her face from its hiding place in Maura's neck.

"Okay," Maura smiled gently, though her heart began to race at the thoughts of what she and Jane could explore together.

"I think it could be really hot but, like, is there a way we can warm up to this? Like, start small?" Jane asked softly.

"Of course," Maura replied. "Would you like to hear a suggestion? Or have you had enough sex talk for the next month?"

"Ha ha," Jane deadpanned. "What's your suggestion?"

"I have a few novelty items for my personal use," Maura said softly, treading the new topic gently to not spook Jane or cause her any unnecessary discomfort. "We could maybe spend a little bit of time with those and then peruse online for anything we'd like to try after you've grown comfortable."

"Yeah, okay," Jane said, pressing a soft kiss to Maura's neck before pulling away to rest her chin on a freckled shoulder. "I like that plan."

"I like it, too," Maura smiled.

"Thank you for being so amazing," Jane said as she pulled Maura tightly against her. "Seriously, you've been perfect. Dealing with my obsession with work, giving me that workout room, allowing us to explore novelty items at my pace, and just being you. I dunno how I can ever thank you."

"Well, there is one thing you could do…" Maura trailed off.

"Name it."

"Tell me what you want for Christmas."

Remember! If you have any scenes you wanna see nestled into this story, let me know! I want you all to love this story as much as possible.

Love to hear your thoughts!