A/N: Y'all said you liked long chapters...*goes to hide*

Disclaimer: Don't own the characters. Not making money. ETC.

Maura's whole life had been based on running. People were either running away from her or she was running away from them. People were mean and judgmental so she held them at a distance. The acquaintances she made never ventured deeper than that. She was always the weird kid, that kid who liked frog dissections in biology, the kid who knew too much. No one wanted to be friends with the know-it-all. She learned to convince herself that it didn't matter, that loneliness was just a human condition, one she could live with or learn to accept. In college she put in a lot of effort to better herself as a person. She joined clubs, sororities, and took volunteer opportunities. She made friends but those friends were always an arm's length away. She thought she was destined for those types of relationships her entire life but then when she was in her early thirties she met Jane Rizzoli.

Jane was the total opposite of Maura, she didn't run from anything. She was a fighter. She stayed, weathered the battle, and came out on the other side worn and bruised but never beaten. She pushed. She stood in front of loaded guns. Maura couldn't help but wonder if that was all she ever needed. If the whole trick was to just have someone say they were there and they weren't leaving, someone that stood their ground no matter how shaky it got. Because with Jane, Maura didn't feel like running away and the detective had already surpassed all of her strongest defenses.

It was with those thoughts in mind that Maura found herself early Wednesday night heading out of her door to the sidewalk for a quick jog. She was nervous about the impending date with Jane, her best friend, and the woman that knew her better than anyone else. The thought didn't scare her, she didn't feel like running. The nerves were more of a sort of giddy anticipation for things to happen. After all, the hardest part had already happened. They knew how the other felt and they were taking the steps accordingly.

Halfway down her block she felt her mind shift like it always did midway into a run. The nerves, the unsteadiness, and anything else fell to the way side as she took each step. Her breathing controlled and her pace increased. There was just something undeniably calming about the rhythm of her forefoot strike.

…

By Thursday, Jane still had no idea what to do for their date. She didn't do dates. She didn't like them. She didn't go on them. The few dates she had been on recently were with Casey and that was weeks ago or longer. She'd lost track between all the things her life had thrown at her. And the dates with him weren't even good dates. They were more on par with a conversation over a slice and even then the conversation wasn't that great most of the time. She was sitting on her couch slowly working herself though a bottle of beer.

She didn't do dates and yet she was going on a date with Maura. Maura, who was her best friend. Maura, who was distinctly feminine and most definitely a woman. There was just something about the combination of the words 'Maura' and 'first date' that sent some emergency signal off in her brain like a firehouse alarm. There was just so much to screw up, so many things that could go wrong. What if it ended badly? What if she was a bad kisser? What if Maura was? Jane groaned dropping her head to the back of the couch. Then there were the other questions. What if they were perfect for each other? What if they were each other's other half? How would her mother take it? Yes, she had said repeatedly that they would make a good couple or that she wanted a doctor in the family or she was accepting, but when it was put into practice, in her face, in the open, would she be just as accepting? It seemed like her entire mind was filled with questions. She'd never questioned so many things in her life. Black and white, that was how she saw things. There was an answer, a reason, a motive behind everything, maybe it didn't always make since but it was still there. But this thing with Maura, it seemed every road she turned down led to an entire test full of questions. And they were the hard ones too, the ones that didn't have good solid answers but many. She had so many thoughts she couldn't even figure out where to go on their first date. How pathetic was that?

She couldn't decide if she should take Maura to some five star restaurant she'd already undoubtedly been too. (Would she wear a dress or a suit? Did it even matter?) But the thing was that they'd had dinner a thousand times together, sometimes even at fancy French places that she couldn't pronounce. And that was probably her biggest issue. She wanted the date to feel like a date. She didn't want it to be virtually two friends hanging out. She wanted it to mean something. She wanted to go somewhere simple yet fun, somewhere that would stand out. Perhaps she was putting too much pressure on herself.

She sat and she drank, not even caring in the slightest that it was a work night. By midnight and her fourth bottle of beer she finally got an idea where to take Maura for their date (because she was going on a date with Maura.) It sounded like the best plan in the entire universe. But she was pretty sure she would've found some redeemable quality about anything by that point. Someone could've suggested they go jump into a lake and eat bugs and she probably would've agreed. As it was that was, quite thankfully, not her idea. She stood on shaky feet and dug around her kitchen making a mess of everything to find something her mother gave her years ago.

…

By Friday, Medical Examiner and Homicide Detective were both a bundle of nerves. Jane decidedly stayed at her desk looking up leads on some of her open cases and Maura stayed downstairs checking her e-mail and making calls.

It was about midday when Jane finally decided to send Maura a text message about what was going to happen. She was still nervous about her little plan.

Frost raised an eyebrow looking at Korsak then to Jane. He hoped the old man got the message. Jane was shaking her head and making faces at the little screen in her hand before he would hear the furious clicking of a backspace button and a frustrated sigh. Finally, Korsak seemed to catch on. Frost smirked in his direction as Jane placed her phone face down on her desk before running a hand over her face. Four bottles of beer and falling asleep at two AM was probably not one of her brightest ideas.

"Was that an important text message, Jane?" Frost asked jokingly raising his eyebrows suggestively.

Korsak laughed. Jane glared. "Shut up." She remarked snidely before crumpling up a piece of paper and throwing it at him. There was still so much she had to do to get ready for the date, so at five she pushed away from her desk.

"Have a hot date tonight, Rizzoli?" Korsak laughed calling after her.

Jane just waved her hand back behind her. "As a matter of fact I do." She mumbled to herself once she was out of earshot from the group.

…

Maura sat back in her chair just as her phone dinged with a new message. She picked it up. She couldn't keep the smile from her face as she read Jane's name on her screen. She scrolled down reading the note.

I'll pick you up at seven. Wear something casual, something you can move in. No skirts. No dresses. Socks are a must. Looking forward to tonight, Jane.

Of course it only left her with questions. She couldn't help but wonder where they were going or why her clothing mattered that much and whatever that thing was about socks. She was planning on wearing one of her new dresses but it seemed she was going to have to rethink her entire wardrobe for the night. She couldn't focus on anything for the rest of the day. At precisely five pm she left to go home and to get ready for her first date with Jane.

…

At 6:59 Jane pulled into Maura's driveway. She took a calming breath. She ran the tube of chap stick over her lips. She wished she wasn't such a tomboy even in her thirties. She wished she knew things like what color lipstick worked best for her or what type of shoes to wear or style of jean worked best for her figure. She always made due with her knowledge but somehow that didn't seem like enough. Probably because she was taking out the world's most elegantly feminine women ever because for some reason beyond her capacity to even understand Maura liked her, Maura picked her. It was both terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time. Just as the clock struck seven Jane rubbed her shaking hands on her pants before grabbing the small package from the passenger seat and exiting the car. During the walk to Maura's door, a walk she was sure she could do backwards, drunk, and in a blindfold, she felt oddly like she was walking the plank. She swallowed hard touching her index finger once to the doorbell.

On the other side of the door Maura was having her own problems. She paced back and forth talking to Bass who sat diligently in her kitchen looking at her as if he were listening to every word she said. She dipped back and forth between French and English, using wild hand gestures. Through it all Bass Isles just stared at his human. "What if it's terrible, Bass? What if I've built all of this up in my head and none of it means anything?" She groaned loudly and stomped her foot in indignation. Just as she was about to go into some other excuse the doorbell rang. She looked at the door. Oh, god, she thought, just relax. She took a calming breath and fluffed her hair before opening the door.

Jane stood on the other side of the door jumping from foot to foot. Some form of adrenaline was running through her veins. She felt like she could run a marathon and then fight a bear and an alligator at the same time. After what seemed like an eternity, the door finally opened.

For a short moment they both stood on either side of the threshold. Jane inwardly scoffed. She had been worried it wouldn't feel like a date but with the way Maura's eyes roamed over her figure (and she was sure hers over Maura's as well) she knew that wasn't going to be a problem. Jane cleared her throat reaching out shyly to hand Maura her present. "I – uh – I got you these. I thought…I thought you'd like them." Jane never wanted to punch herself in the face at any point in her life more than she did at that moment. She was pathetic. She was a grown woman, stumbling over her words like a scared teenager.

Maura felt some of the uneasiness lift from her shoulders. Jane was nervous too (and if she was being honest it was completely endearing and very cute to see.) She took the small bag from Jane's hand. Their fingers touched. Their eyes locked. And again Maura was faced with the 'how had it taken this long' question. But she couldn't worry about that, because the point was that it was happening now. A slow grin formed across her face as she saw the contents of the little baggy. Fudge clusters. Leave it to Jane to remember something she said she liked as an off handed comment about something else years ago. "Thank you, Jane." Jane felt something go up her spine just at the way Maura said her name. That was something that most definitely never happened before. "That's very sweet." Maura paused to look Jane in the eye. "Do you want to come inside for a moment while I put these up?" Jane just nodded her head not trusting her voice to do anything for her.

Jane stepped into the living room and watched as Maura walked into the kitchen. She saw that her 'casual dress' wasn't all that casual but she was wearing pants so that was a good thing. She was wearing dress slacks and a maroon colored blouse that hugged her curves in all the right places. Jane coughed. She should've said something about it earlier. That was like the number one rule of dating or something to tell the person they looked nice. But Maura always looked nice. Maura turned back around after presumably putting away the fudge clusters and was walking towards Jane. The detective swallowed hard. "You look – you look great." Jane fumbled to say once again her voice having a small breakdown.

Maura grinned a light blush washing over her cheeks. She let her eyes roam over Jane's dark wash jeans and baby blue button up and a deep black blazer over the whole thing. It was so simple and so Jane. This was who she wanted to have a date with, not some over the top trying too hard Jane. She was sure that time would come, but she was glad she got this Jane for their first date. "As do you."

Jane swallowed hard for the second time in less than five minutes. Buck up, Rizzoli, she chastised herself. She smoothed out the palm of her hand on the side of her pants one last time before reaching a hand out to Maura. "Ready to go?"

Maura took Jane's hand in her own, intertwining their fingers together. She didn't have to look down to know they fit perfectly together. "I take it you're not going to tell me where we're going?" Maura asked grabbing her purse with her free hand.

Jane grinned. "Nope." She looked down at Maura's heels. "Do you have socks? If not, I have a brand new pair for you."

Maura shot her a look. "If I have socks do I still get your socks?" She asked slyly.

Jane laughed. The easiness of their friendship helped ease her nerves. "Well, they definitely won't fit me."

Maura laughed as Jane opened the door for her. "So, I get fudge clusters and a new pair of socks. I'm excited to see where this date goes." Jane grinned before walking to the other side of the car and getting in. She hoped Maura did like what she had planned.

They pulled up to Bowling Thunder not long after they left Maura's place. Before going inside Jane reached into the glove box to hand Maura the pair of socks she bought for her. Maura smiled and thanked her but her eyes remained focused on the bright red letters on the brick wall in front of them. She couldn't help the smile on her face. She'd never been to a bowling alley before much less on a date. She was intrigued.

Jane got out of the car quickly running a hand over her face and taking a fast deep breath. Her nerves were slightly satiated by Maura's soft smile. She knew taking the refined woman to a bowling alley as their first date could have been a hit or a miss. She was fairly certain that Maura had never been to one and for Jane that was just tragic. Bowling alleys were like a rite of passage through teenage years. And she was determined to give Maura everything she never had the chance or the inclination to have. It was a deal she made with herself early on in their friendship. So far she'd been pretty good at keeping with it too. They'd gone to their first baseball game together at Fenway a while back where she practically forced Maura to eat a ballpark hotdog. Then there was the long list of movies like the Goonies, The Sandlot, and various classic Disney movies that were a constant staple in her own childhood home. There were other things she'd checked off, but going to a bowling alley had yet to be checked. And she couldn't think of a better way to do it than as their date. But now that they were there she kind of wished she took Maura to a fancy restaurant instead. She opened Maura's door for her and offered her a hand to get out.

After paying for everything Jane and Maura walked to their lane and sat down. The silence between them was prominent. Jane didn't know what to say. Weren't they supposed to be talking or something? Maura could feel Jane's nerves radiating from her body and she could see the steady shaking of her hands as she tried and failed to tie the bowling shoes. She looked at her own shoes, wiggling her toes around a bit in the socks Jane gave her. Jane definitely knew how to pick out comfy socks. She looked around the area completely fascinated with the sounds of laughter and the vastly different age groups at the place. She turned back to Jane placing a soothing hand on her bicep. "I'm nervous too." She whispered into Jane's ear. The slight muscle clench in Jane's neck did not go unnoticed by Maura. She felt her lips twitch upwards.

"What are we supposed to talk about?" Jane whispered back finally tying her shoe.

Maura shrugged standing to her feet. "Help me pick out a bowling ball." Jane took her hand as she stood. She could do that.

…

After bowling a couple frames the pair found themselves back in street shoes and on to the arcade. Jane took several one dollar bills from her wallet and stuck them in her pocket. She grabbed Maura's hand. "Come on, if you thought bowling was fun wait until you see what we're going to do next." She said excitedly. Maura couldn't help but let Jane's excitement rub off on her. They stopped walking at what looked like some sort of table. Jane stuck a dollar into the machine and it whirred to life. "Air hockey." Jane explained leading her to one side of the table and giving her what she presumed equivalent to a hockey stick. "Best game ever." Jane whispered into her ear purposefully getting a little too close to the doctor. Jane could literally feel the shiver that swept through Maura's body. She smirked. After walking back to her side of the table Jane laid the puck down. "Don't let the puck go through your goal, try to get it in mine. Got it?"

Maura nodded once. "Got it."

As soon as the game started all of Jane's worries left her. She scored twice before she got completely lost in looking at Maura. The woman across from her was laughing. It was one of those real laughs that came from deep in the belly accompanied by one of those smiles Jane loved that encapsulated her entire face. She just seemed so happy. Then there was the actual image before her of prim and proper Dr. Maura Isles with an air hockey stick in her hand, bent halfway over the table and her tongue sticking out between her lips determinedly that caught her so off guard and hit her in the base of her spine and spread like a wildfire to the rest of her organs. "Oh!" Maura yelled with hands raised in the air in triumph. "What's the matter detective, something a little distracting for you?"

It was only then that Jane noticed the air hockey table turned off and the score line read seven to two. Maura beat her. Jane arched an eyebrow. "Pool?"

Maura smirked back. "Lead the way."

Jane chalked up the pool cue in her hand before handing it over to Maura. "I've taught you how to play this already."

Maura nodded. "You have."

"So I'm not going to go easy on you this time." Jane smirked.

Maura laughed taking a step closer to Jane and most definitely invading into her personal space. She ran a hand lightly up Jane's arm before resting it on her shoulder. She just wanted to kiss her. She wanted to drop the whole act and plant one on Jane's lips. She didn't care where they went or what they did as long as she got a kiss at some point during the evening. Bowling was nice, especially watching Jane's hips twist as she threw the ball, and it was fun watching Jane watch her while they played air hockey. But now the night was getting longer and she could feel her patience wearing thin. She leaned in close to Jane's ear once more, like she'd been doing all night. She dropped the register of her voice just a bit so it was darker and richer. "That's what all that was? You letting me win?" She laughed airily before pulling away. Jane took several calming breaths. "Do you want to break or can I do it?"

"Y- you can." Jane said, her voice cracking just slightly. She narrowed her eyes at Maura as she bent over the pool table to hit the ball. She swore Maura winked at her just before she took the shot. Then it finally hit her that Maura was playing her and she was letting it happen. That would not do. Little did Maura know when she was in the Drug Unit Jane was very good at getting grown men to tell their secrets over a pool table.

Jane leaned against her pool cue as she surveyed what Maura had done. She didn't actually hit any balls into the pockets so the game was pretty much her choice with which she wanted to go with. Finally, she eyed the striped ball she wanted. She bent down slowly rolling her hips to one side to get into a good position. She could feel Maura's eyes roaming over her form. She smirked sticking her tongue between her lips as she took the shot. The ball went into the pocket just as planned. After her second shot and getting a scratch she turned to Maura leaning into her personal space just as she had done to her moments earlier. "Your turn." She could visibly see the shiver that ran up Maura's back, she saw the slight muscle twitch of her face and then heard Maura clear her throat before stepping away from her and back to the game.

Because of their little dance playing pool lasted much longer than it should have. By the end of the game Jane knew she couldn't take another round. She turned to Maura who looked just as shaken. Jane swallowed hard. "I hope you're hungry, I have something else planned, if you're ready."

Maura looked Jane up and down. There is only one thing I want to eat right now…Her thought process was cut short by Jane putting her stupid blazer back on. Her stomach growled. She didn't know how much longer she could take before she combusted, hopefully long enough to make it through dinner. She stepped forwards linking arms with Jane.

…

A few minutes later they walked into Jane's apartment. Maura walked in behind her. She noticed the apartment was clean and smelled fresh. Jo Friday yipped excitedly before circling around her feet. Maura bent down to scratch behind the little dog's ear just the way she liked it. She could hear Jane in the kitchen moving things around. She was about to sit down and take her heels off when she heard Jane's voice coming from the kitchen.

"Don't get too comfortable!" Jane said in a muffled voice. She was trying to get everything neat and orderly in the basket on the counter but her hands were shaking. Bowling had been easy, pool was slightly more difficult but this, dinner as a date was going to be the hardest of all. It was just going to be her and Maura and nothing in between them, nothing getting in the way. Things would be laid out bare. The thought alone sent her heart rate skyrocketing but she couldn't make her brain turn off. The more she thought about it the more pressure she put on herself the harder her hands shook. She was pretty sure her entire body was shaking. She'd never been this nervous before about a date. In fact, the last time she even remembered being this nervous was during her oral boards to get into the Boston Police Department. Finally, everything was settled in the basket. She took a long deep breath. This is just Maura, she thought. It's just Maura, your best friend, the person that has seen you wild and in control and dressed up and bleeding and in a hospital bed. She already likes you. There is no need to be impressive. You can do this. Jane nodded her head once more before walking out into her living room, basket in hand.

Maura wasn't feeling quite as nervous but the anticipation was killing her. The hard part, in her eyes at least, had already happened. They already picked their path and now it was just a matter of continuing on that path. That was easy. So she pet Jo Friday and walked down the hall to the restroom. She stopped midway down the hall to stare at a picture. It was of her and Jane after running their first marathon together. They were wiped of all energy and leaning into one another for support. She laughed quietly remembering the fight Jane put up with to not wear the outfit she had chosen for them. They'd done a lot that day. They solved a double murder, put a rapist behind bars and ran a marathon. But even then there was no one else she would have rather done all those things with. She was so lucky to have someone that she could just ask if she'd run a marathon with her and they would. Jane was her solid ground.

Jane walked into the living room holding the basket in one hand and a bottle of wine under her arm just as Maura was walking back into the living room. They smiled at each other. "Follow me." Jane said with a twist of her head towards the door.

Maura had no idea where Jane was going when she started going up the stairs and not down. But then finally they stopped by a door briefly before Jane pushed it open. They were on the roof of Jane's building. Maura saw a blanket already laid out on the ground. "Are we allowed to be up here?" She asked with a slight hint of awe in her voice.

Jane chuckled. "Does it ruin the ambiance if I say yes?"

Maura smiled affectionately. "No." She took the wine bottle from underneath Jane's arm. She looked at the label. "My favorite." She commented walking backwards towards the pallet.

Jane shrugged. "I know." She followed Maura gently placing the basket between them before sitting down herself. She started unloading the basket. There were two Tupperware containers of food, one hot, one cold. Jane handed Maura the corkscrew so she could open the wine and fill their glasses.

Maura couldn't help but let the heavenly smell of the food from the hot container to waft in her direction. Her stomach growled with sudden hunger. "Did your mother cook?" Maura couldn't help but ask.

Jane shot her a withering look with an eyebrow expertly raised. "No. Believe it or not," Jane stated handing over a plate with a serving of lasagna on it and a fork towards Maura who took it graciously. "I know my way around a kitchen." She finished picking up her own plate.

Maura looked at her plate of steaming food in her hand. "You made this?" Maura asked before sticking a small piece with her fork. She pursed her lips blowing on it to cool it down before taking a bite. "Oh my god." She licked her lips giving the dark haired woman across from her a look. "You've been holding out on me, Jane."

Jane laughed with a shrug. "I am Angela Rizzoli's daughter." She took a bite off her own plate before shooting Maura a smirk. "Wait until you try desert."

Maura raised an eyebrow. "You are just full of surprises aren't you?"

"You have no idea." Their conversation flowed from topic to topic like it usually did. They talked about something funny Frost had said. They shared a laugh over something Jo Friday had done at the park the last time Jane took her. As shocking as it was for the both of them, it was easy. Just talking without pressure like nothing had ever changed. When their plates were clear Jane put them back into the basket.

"So what's for desert?" Maura asked.

Jane chuckled. "Eager are we?"

"Well," Maura shrugged. "What is it they say? Talk is cheap and you usually walk the walk?"

"Close enough." Jane paused suddenly getting an idea in her head. "Close your eyes." Maura did as she was told. Jane picked up a new fork putting a piece of the chocolate pie onto it before moving towards Maura. "Open your mouth."

Maura quirked an eyebrow. "This isn't going to end up in my face is it?"

"No, I promise." Jane laughed. "Scouts honor."

"But you were a Sprout Trooper."

"Maura." The second the chocolate and whipped cream hit her mouth her eyes shot open before rolling into the back of her head. "Is it good?" Jane asked nervously feeling very hot all of a sudden at the slight moan that escaped Maura as she swallowed it down. Maura opened her eyes and smacked Jane on the arm. "Hey!" Jane yelled rubbing her arm with a pout.

"You make me cook all the time for us, and you can do that in a kitchen?" She narrowed her eyes playfully pointing a finger at the basket.

"You offer!" Jane shrugged. "And I don't like cooking so my dishes are pretty standard."

Maura took the fork and container from Jane. "Homemade lasagna," She dipped the fork in the container. "Which by the way, is just as good as your mother's."

"It's my favorite. I had to learn to cook it." Jane shrugged.

"Still, it is not a dish standard for most people." Maura smiled holding out the fork towards Jane. "Open up."

"Is this going to end up on my face?"

Maura's jaw dropped in fake offense. "I'm offended you would think such a low -" But then Jane's tongue darted over the fork followed by the rest of her mouth.

She pulled away from the fork Maura was holding and licked her lips. "You're right, that was good." Jane mumbled.

Maura put the items in her hand on the ground. She got up onto her knees, and put one hand on the ground to stabilize her before leaning into Jane. "You've got something…" She trailed off swiping the index finger of her right hand on the tip of Jane's nose.

Jane watched as Maura put her finger in her mouth to lick off the whipped cream. She swallowed thickly. "You said it wouldn't end up on my face." She hated how hoarse her voice sounded, how rough it was just then. She wanted to be gentler, to say something more profound, more confident. But with Maura still so close to her her brain was in some sort of thick fog. All she wanted to do was lean forward and capture Maura's lips with her own. It would've been easy.

"It's not my fault that you're a messy eater." Maura countered back. It was amazing, Maura thought, that the sexual tension was not made up, that it was still there in spades. That it was still there even after she knew she could have Jane. That had always been a struggle for her. She always wanted all the things that were just out of reach and then when she finally got them the newness of it all would quickly fade only to make her bored with the whole situation. She couldn't count the number of relationships that had ended because of that. But god, she wanted Jane so much it was quickly becoming ridiculous. She was wired, a bundle of nerves under her skin threatening to explode at the slightest touch. She couldn't break eye contact with those dark, almost black eyes in front of her. She could feel Jane's breath on her face, shallow and rapid. One of them was going to have to make a move. They both seemed to be thinking the same thing as they both tried to initiate the long awaited kiss.

It was all wrong. Jane knew it and Maura knew it. It was just a mess. Their heads were angled the same direction, noses were squished uncomfortably, teeth knocked against teeth, and their chins jutted against one another. Added to the unfortunate mess their lips hardly even touched. It was a terrible kiss, a non-kiss. Jane and Maura both immediately separated. Maura sat back on her heels with a slight huff. How could two people with so much chemistry together be so bad at kissing each other? She was stuck on that thought as Jane's mind went elsewhere.

In movies the kiss was always right. It could've been an action movie or a romantic comedy but the kiss, the big moment, was always right. Jane felt disappointed in herself, in Maura, in life. For a very short second, she thought about walking away, about just chalking it all up to awkwardness. But it was a short second. She promised herself to see it through, and she'd done a good job of it so far. Her lips tingled and her body felt like a very, very live mine. No one in recent memory ever made her feel like that. She could still remember the feel of Maura's gentle curves molding into her own thin frame like she belonged there while she taught the honey-blond to bowl. She remembered the first time they held hands that night and the jolt of…of something that seeped into her veins from the simple touch and catapulted her heart rate. The questions that had littered her mind for the past few days finally quieted down and became virtually non-existent. The 'what if…' scenarios were no longer there. Somehow throughout the night the knowledge that they had already been through so much held her in place. If they could get through the horrors of Hoyt and Doyle and car accidents and stupid nuns and so, so many other things, then they could pass this bridge too, together, like they always had and always would.

"Maybe you're suffering from performance anxiety?" Maura offered helpfully.

Jane's jaw dropped. "Excuse me?"

"Or maybe I should do it?" Maura shrugged keeping her eyes on Jane's lips. There were so many things she wanted in this moment. It had been weeks since she realized she wanted…wanted Jane in a romantic way. And now that thing she'd been pushing away for all those weeks refused to be pushed away anymore. Jane shot her another look which she missed because of where her eyes were directed. "It's just you're used to being kissed by," She licked her lips mid-sentence. "By dominant men. I hypothesize if you were being kis –"

Jane cut Maura off by doing what she was good at: taking charge. She gently braced Maura's chin with her hand before kissing her. She heard Maura make a muffled oh sound before she started kissing back.

It was a simple kiss. Just two people, two sets of mouths just moving against one another. There was nothing incredibly fancy about it but everything seemed to disappear around them. The slight discomfort of thin pants on the roof, the honking cars filled with impatient people, the slightly muggy Boston air – it was all just gone. It was just the two of them on a roof kissing. No politics, no job, no family. Whatever questions that were left for both of them faded into white noise in their heads. Jane felt Maura's hands come to rest on her hips. The steady current that was between them all night seemed to solidify in its intensity.

Jane pulled away a few moments later. The need to breathe only barely outweighed the feelings surging through her body. She already wanted to do it again. How could anyone walk away from someone who kissed like that? She closed her eyes resting her forehead against Maura's. "Why did we wait so long to do that again?"

Jane felt the breath of Maura's laughter on her face and couldn't fight her own smile from creeping up. She felt so much lighter after that kiss. "We didn't want to ruin what we already had." Maura said breaking the silence after a moment."

Jane nodded, brushing her nose lightly over Maura's. "Oh, yeah." Her voice refused to raise higher than a whisper. "Think it's safe to say that didn't ruin anything?"

Maura leaned into Jane's touch with a soft barely audible sigh. "Mmm. The world did not implode."

"God didn't strike us down." Jane brought her hand to one of Maura's. She took it from her waist and played with her fingers.

"The moon is still hanging in the sky."

"You're still here." Jane's voice was barely a whisper that time, Maura had to strain to hear her.

Maura leaned her face in closer. "So are you."

The pair let those facts sink in for a moment. They were just there on the roof lost in the feeling of the other so close. "I should take you home." Jane said quietly. Maura nodded slowly in agreement but neither made an effort to move. Finally, Jane broke the silence. "I'm getting a cramp."

Maura reluctantly moved away from Jane laughing heartily. "That's because you don't drink enough water." She stood to her feet slowly offering Jane a hand.

"Way to kill the mood there Dr. Isles." Jane replied a smile on her face. She took Maura's hand and stood.

"I believe you're the one with the cramp, detective."

"Whatever." Jane groaned bending down to grab the basket. Maura grabbed the blanket in her right hand before grabbing Jane's hand again. Jane smiled placing a soft unexpected kiss to Maura's lips. She squeezed her hand and led them to the door, both women were smiling as they walked down the stairs.

A/N: I had this really long explanation typed out but basically I just wanted to explain that I chose to write this story this way because I wanted it to feel realistic. I wanted to explore that slow build. That 'oh my god I'm attracted to my best friend what the hell' feeling that happens when that happens. Maybe someone points is out to you, maybe you figure it out on your own but one day you wake up and nothing's changed but all of a sudden you're like 'oh, you look really good in blue, when did that happen?' and it's this big thing and it's scary. And that's why you had to wait 14 chapters and a whole bunch of words for a kiss.

I'm not done writing. I just wanted to thank you all for your patience and the unbelievably kind reviews.

Thanks for reading!

P.S. Song I was listening to while writing this: Just a Kiss by Lady Antebellum