Chapter 11: Day One

A/N: There will be a little more angst ahead (nothing to the level of the first half of the story), but the next few chapters will all be sweet and (hopefully) sexy.

Jane's POV

Jane felt herself waking up with a warm body pressed against her front. She smiled to herself as she pulled Maura closer. She still couldn't believe this was real; part of her was still waiting to wake up from this dream.

"Mmm," Maura hummed as she felt Jane pull her impossibly closer. She pulled away a bit and rolled over in Jane's arms so that she was facing her. "Good morning, Jane," Maura said before leaning in and giving Jane a chaste kiss. Jane tried to deepen the kiss, but Maura pulled away with a smirk. "I haven't brushed my teeth," she whispered.

Jane rolled her eyes, "Seriously? Are you always going to make me wait until we've brushed our teeth?"

"No, but today is our first morning together. I don't want you to think about my morning breath every time you think about this."

Jane laughed softly. "Fine," she said and rolled away intending to go brush her teeth.

"Wait, where are you going?" Maura asked, reaching out her arms to try to pull Jane back into bed.

"To brush my teeth!" Jane exclaimed. Maura was giving her the cutest pout, so she leaned in for a quick peck on the lips. She pulled away before Maura could pull her back to bed.

Jane was standing at the sink in her bathroom brushing her teeth when Maura walked up behind her and wrapped her arms around her waist. She rested her chin on Jane's shoulder and smiled at Jane in the mirror. "Good morning," she said again.

"You already said that," Jane said.

"Yes, but you still haven't," Maura pointed out.

Jane finished brushing her teeth and turned around to face Maura. "I'm sorry," she told Maura. "Good morning, love.

Maura gave her a quick kiss before reaching around Jane to brush her own teeth. When she was done, she found Jane sitting on her bed. "Love? I like that. I don't typically like pet names, but I like 'love.'"

Jane laughed, "Good. Now come here." She tugged on Maura's hands and Maura sat on her lap straddling her. Maura threaded her fingers into Jane's hair as she leaned in for a passionate kiss. Maura felt like she was melting. She wasn't sure when the last time she had felt this good was – or really, if she had ever felt this good.

Jane pulled Maura tighter against her, wrapping her arms around Maura and running her hands up and down her back. Maura ran her tongue along her bottom lip and Jane opened her mouth, letting her in. Jane couldn't help the moan that she released when Maura's tongue entered her mouth. Their tongues worked together, equally pulling and pushing. Just as Jane was about to run her hands under Maura's top, Maura pulled back.

Laughing softly at Jane's whining, Maura quietly told her, "If we don't stop soon, I'm not sure I'll be able to control myself much longer."

Jane leaned her forehead against Maura's. "Okay," she said.

Maura stood up, pulling Jane up behind her, "Let's get dressed."

They quickly got ready for the day and headed out the front door. As Jane locked the door behind them, she said to Maura, "So, I was thinking we could get coffee and breakfast at this local coffee shop. Then we can go shopping for whatever you need. I'm not sure if you already know where you want to go, but on the next street over from the coffee shop, there are a few boutiques I think you would like."

"That sounds wonderful," Maura said. "Are we driving or walking?"

"If we were just going for breakfast, we could walk, but since I'm expecting we'll have quite a few bags by the end of the day, let's drive. It's a little over a mile away."

As the got in the car, Jane added, "If they don't have everything you need at the stores we're going to, just let me know and we can find other places that have what you need."

Maura smiled, "Thank you, Jane. I know you hate shopping."

"Yes, but I want you to stay for the next two weeks more than I hate shopping," Jane admitted. Also, she would never admit it to Maura, but she did enjoy shopping with her friend. She had an image to keep up though, so it was basically a requirement that she complain the whole time.

They parked near the stores they would be going to later in the day and walked back to the coffee shop. As they walked in, Jane noticed a couple leaving a table near the window, "Oh, look; there's a table. Why don't you go save the table and I'll order our coffee and breakfast?"

"Sure," Maura responded and hurried off to the table. Jane waited in line, ordered their drinks and food, and then joined Maura at the table.

"Thanks," she said to Maura. "It's often impossible to find a table in this place on a Saturday morning, especially one near the window."

"I like this place," Maura said looking around. "What did you order us for breakfast?"

"They have really good breakfast sandwiches here. I got "The Original" for myself; it has egg, sausage, cheese, tomato, and lettuce on an English muffin. And I got you "The Power Breakfast Sandwich"; it has egg whites, tomato, avocado, and spinach on wheat toast. Also, I got the potatoes as my side and the side salad for yours, but I figured we could share those. I knew you probably wouldn't want a whole order of potatoes but might want a few."

Maura smiled, "That sounds perfect."

A waitress walked up with their coffees. Setting them on the table, she told them, "You're food will be out shortly."

"Thank you," Jane replied.

Jane looked at the labels on the drinks and pushed Maura's towards her. Maura look at the label as well to see what Jane had ordered for her. She instantly felt tears pooling at the corners of her eyes.

When Jane saw the look on Maura's face, she was concerned. "What's wrong?" she asked. Noticing that Maura was staring at the drink, she added, "Did I get the wrong thing? I can go back up there and get whatever you want." Jane started to stand up, asking, "What would you like?"

"No!" Maura said quickly, placing her hand on Jane's forearm to keep her from getting up. "It's perfect. It's just that…never mind, it's silly."

Interlacing her fingers with Maura's, Jane pushed, "I'm sure it's not silly. What is it? You seem upset all of the sudden."

Maura looked up, locking eyes with Jane. "It's just that it's been a while since we've had coffee together." Maura sighed before continuing, "You remember my favorite coffee order with every customization."

Jane laughed, "I mean, I maintain that it's a ridiculous order, and I'm still not sure if there is even coffee in there, but yeah, of course I remember it."

Maura looked down and whispered, "Ian never learned any of the things I liked."

Jane sighed before adding, just as quietly, "I remember everything about you."

At this comment, Maura couldn't stop a few tears from falling. "Thank you," she replied.

Luckily, the waitress came back with their food, so they didn't have to continue with the conversation.

"Can I take you on a date tonight?" Jane asked Maura with a smirk.

A huge grin crossed Maura's face, "I would love that. Where are we going to go?"

Jane laughed, "Nope. It's a surprise."

"Oh, come on. Please tell me!" Maura pleaded.

"Uh uh, not happening!" Jane said.

Maura laughed, "Fine." Changing the subject, Maura added, "Can I come see you teach at the FBI one day?"

Jane shrugged, "Sure. If you want. Actually, Thursday would be a good day. In preparation for their finals next week, they have an in-class interrogation assignment. That will probably be a fun day to come."

Maura smiled, "I'm looking forward to it." After a pause, Maura asked, "Can I try a bite of your sandwich?"

"Sure," Jane replied, handing her the other half of her sandwich. "What else do you want to do while you're here?"

"Well, I'd love to meet your friends, but other than that, I just want to spend time with you. I'll help you pack. I can go to the store on Monday to get groceries and packing supplies."

Jane laughed, "Sounds good. Besides, I know how much you hate my packing."

"It would be significantly easier to unpack if you organized and labelled your things while packing," Maura stated. "Have you thought any more about moving in with me?"

Jane sighed, "It's not that I don't want to live with you. I do, but it scares me. I mean, are you sure you really want to go right from living with Ian to living with me? Don't you need a transition? What if we don't work? I don't know if I could handle moving out. This past year was bad enough."

"I understand. I just feel like we've wasted enough time apart. I don't want to have to say goodbye to you every night. Do you really think we might not work?" Maura asked quietly.

"I don't know, Maura. This feels right, and I know I love you. But, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the fact that you were so recently engaged to Ian, that you moved so quickly with him when we ran into him in Paris. It doesn't necessarily bother me that you were with him. The past doesn't really matter, but I'm worried that you will realize this was a mistake, too."

"I'm sorry, Jane. I know I hurt you. That was never my intention."

"I know it wasn't, but the reality is I was hurt. I'm not saying all of this is your fault. Please don't think that. I hurt you too, and we are both guilty of not talking to the other about how we feel." Jane paused before continuing, "I love you, Maura, more than you could ever understand, but I don't think I'd survive losing you like that again."

"I don't think I'd survive losing you again either," Maura whispered. "I want you to know, though, that how I feel about you isn't the same as how I felt about Ian. I can't promise you everything will always be perfect, but I can promise you that I will always fight for you. I'm done fighting this. I don't see any scenario in which I don't want to spend the rest of my life with you, but I also don't want you to move in if you aren't ready. I couldn't handle it if you moved out either."

"Let's see how the weekend goes. I know we can't wait too long to decide since I'd need to find somewhere to live if I don't move in with you, but let's talk about it Monday after work. Is that okay?"

"Yes, I think that is a good idea. Thank you for considering it," Maura added.

Jane laughed, "You do understand that my hesitation isn't because I don't want to live with you. I absolutely do. I just have to protect myself – protect both of us – from getting hurt. I don't know if that makes any sense, but to me there is a difference."

"No, I do understand, Jane," Maura replied. "I understand the difference."

"Thanks," Jane said before looking down at her plate to finish her breakfast. Her head snapped back up to look at Maura. "Hey, you ate the rest of my sandwich!" she accused.

Maura looked down at her plate then back at Jane as though not sure how that happened. Then she laughed, "Oh my god, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to. It was just really good, and I wasn't paying attention. Do you want the other half of mine?"

"Ha, no thank you!" Jane said.

"I'll go get you a new one," Maura told her.

"No, no, it's fine. I'll be fine until we get lunch, but I get the rest of the potatoes," she added.

Maura laughed, "Okay. I'm really sorry!"

They finished their breakfasts and coffee before heading back out to the street. It was going to be a beautiful summer day. Jane looked down at her watch. "The stores don't open until 10am. We have about 30 minutes. Do you want to walk through the park?" she asked pointing across the street.

"Sure," Maura replied, and they headed across the street and into the park. They walked in silence for a while, each lost in their own thoughts. Eventually, they came to a bench and sat down.

"Do you know what you want to do career-wise when you are back in Boston?" Maura asked.

"Hmm," Jane hummed. "I actually have two different things I have been thinking about, but before I tell you, I was wondering if you had any thoughts about it."

"Oh, it's not for me to decide," Maura said.

"I know, and I will make my own decision, but if we are going to be in a serious relationship, your opinion matters to me. It affects you too whether I want it to or not."

Maura was silent for a while. She still wasn't sure if she should actually tell Jane her feelings on the topic, but it's not like keeping secrets had worked well for them in the past. Finally, she spoke, "The most important thing to me is that you come home every night, and I want you to be happy, to feel fulfilled. If that means coming back to BPD, being a detective again, then I want you to do that."

"But that wouldn't be your preference?" Jane asked.

"I didn't say that. I will fully support you in anything you want to do."

"You didn't say it in words, but your voice told me what I wanted to know," Jane said. "I'm not upset, Maura, not at all. I really genuinely want to know how you feel."

"I want you to come home every night," Maura repeated.

Jane wrapped her right arm around Maura's shoulders and pulled her close, "I want that too."

"So, what does that mean?" Maura asked. "What are your two ideas?"

Jane looked down at her left hand; she reached across their laps and intertwined her fingers with Maura's. "Well, I was thinking either I could be an instructor for the Boston police academy, or my other idea was to be a child advocate."

"Really?" Maura said, surprised. "You don't want to be back in the field?" Maura's voice cracked on the last word. As much as she tried to keep the emotion out of her voice, she couldn't help it.

"I kinda like not being shot at," Jane said.

"I really like you not being shot at," Maura added. "You also wouldn't have any night calls."

"Yeah, but you still would. It will be hard not going with you."

"The governor offered me an opportunity just before Christmas," Maura told Jane. "I said no at the time. He offered to transition the Chief Medical Examiner position to a more administrative position and to promote Kent to Associate Medical Examiner from Assistant Medical Examiner. He wants me to completely restructure and update the medical examiner's office across the commonwealth. Kent would then be the primary ME in Boston responding to crimes. I would manage the staff and facilities across districts and offices and Kent would still work for me. But Kent would outrank the rest of the MEs in the state."

"Why on earth didn't you take that offer?" Jane asked.

"Honestly, a lot of reasons – all of them selfish."

"I highly doubt that," Jane said.

Maura laughed, "It's true. I told the governor I didn't want to give up the actual medical work, but the truth is I didn't want to give up working with my friends. I was afraid that if I didn't work with them on a daily basis, I would slowly fall out of the group. It's silly, I know."

"It's not silly, but that wouldn't have happened. You're family and nothing would have changed that."

Maura shrugged, "I also didn't mind the time away from Ian. This position would allow me to work a more set schedule. I might still have some evening or weekend calls, but it would only be in extreme circumstances; for example, highly controversial or especially difficult cases."

"Do you think the opportunity is still available?" Jane asked. "Is that something you would want? I know you do love to do autopsies. I mean, what would you do if you couldn't see stomach contents on a daily basis?"

Maura laughed, "It is still an option. The governor has asked me every couple of months since and has let me know that it is an open offer if I ever change my mind."

"Is it something you would like to do?" Jane asked again.

"Yes, it is. I would miss the medical work, but I actually think I could do a lot of good in this position. I would have almost complete autonomy to improve and update the system."

"I wish you had told me when he originally asked," Jane said. She was originally going to ask why Maura hadn't told her, but deep down she knew the answer to that question.

"I know, but I was embarrassed at my cowardice. I've let my fear hold me back in my personal life, time and time again, but that is the first time I let my fear limit my career," Maura admitted.

"It's okay to put your personal life first, you know?" Jane said.

"I know, and if that was actually what I was doing, that would be one thing, but the truth is I was just letting my fear get the best of me."

They both fell silent for a while. Eventually, Jane looked at her watch again. It was 10:10am. She stood up and held her hand out to Maura, "Let's come back to this conversation later. Right now, it's shopping time!"

Maura smiled and allowed Jane to pull her up. She linked arms with Jane as they walked back towards the stores.

Even Jane had to admit that shopping was fun. She had missed doing these kinds of things with Maura. After a while though, she did start to get sort of bored. She was sitting in a chair outside the dressing room while Maura was trying on yet another dress when she got a text from Claire. Maura noticed the look on Jane's face when she stepped out of the dressing room.

She walked up to Jane and asked, "What's wrong?"

Jane looked up, started. She hadn't noticed Maura come back out. "Oh, it's nothing," she said. "I just forgot that I was going to meet some friends at the bar tonight. I was just about to text them back that I can't come."

"No, we should go," Maura said. "Or rather, you should go. I probably shouldn't invite myself. But anyway, my point is we have the rest of our lives for dates, you don't have that much longer to spend time with your friends."

"Okay, first of all, I'm not going anywhere without you. Don't be ridiculous. Second, I want to go on a date with you."

Maura laughed, "Good because I really want to meet your friends. That was my first thought when I started saying we should go, but then I realized that was a bit presumptuous."

Jane rolled her eyes, "Okay, from here on out, please just assume you're invited unless I tell you otherwise, which will be never."

"I want to go on a date with you. I want to go on many dates with you, but I do want to meet your friends."

Jane tilted her head, "You're sure?"

"Yes!" Maura said with a huge smile. "Wait, now I have to find a good outfit for going out."

Jane rolled her eyes again and laughed, "Of course."

They finished up shopping. Jane was pretty sure Maura had spent more today than she had in her entire life on clothes, shoes, and makeup, but that was Maura. They enjoyed a late light lunch at a small café before heading back to Jane's apartment.

Jane helped carry everything inside while Maura unpacked the bags and hung up her new clothes, making sure everything was organized. "Did we miss anything?" Jane asked.

"I don't think so," Maura said. "I think I have everything I need."

"Okay, is it okay if I shower while you finish putting everything away? You can use the drawers too, by the way."

"Sure. Then I'll shower after you."

Jane showered and got ready to go out. She chose dark skinny jeans that fit her especially well. The paired this with a sleeveless red top and grabbed a black leather jacket to bring with her in case the bar was cold. Once she was ready, she stepped outside onto the front porch to make a call. She had thought of the idea earlier in the day but hadn't had a chance to make the call yet.

"Hello," Constance answered.

"Hi, Constance. This is Jane."

"Hi, Jane. I wasn't expecting to hear from you. Is Maura okay?"

"Yes, she's fine. Great actually," Jane paused. "Um, I had a thought. I know this is really late notice and you might not be able to do it, but do you think there's any chance you and/or Arthur would be able to come to Boston for Maura's birthday? I haven't said anything to her so if you can't it's fine. She'll never know. But I think it would be a great surprise if you could, and she would love it."

"Oh. Well, I'd have to check my calendar and talk to Arthur, but I would really like that. We haven't spent her birthday with her in years, and I was especially disappointed to miss her 40th last year. Would it be okay if I got back to you?"

"Yeah, of course. I knew you wouldn't be able to answer right away," Jane said. "I'd really love this to be a surprise for Maura though, if that's okay with you. She sometimes looks at my phone so is it okay if I call you back rather than you calling or texting me?"

"Of course, Jane," Constance said. "I think that is really sweet. I won't say anything to Maura and I will tell Arthur not to tell her either. I'm really hoping to make this work. It should be easier since we will no longer be coming for the wedding. I can reschedule some of my appointments to that time."

"Thank you," Jane said.

"No, Jane. Thank you. It means a lot that you asked."

Jane smiled.

"I fly back to Europe on Monday. Do you think you could call on Tuesday?" Constance asked.

"Sure, is during my lunch – so your dinner time, okay?"

"That would work perfectly."

"Cool. Thanks. Have a good rest of your day and weekend, Constance," Jane said.

"You too, Jane. Goodbye."

Jane hung up and headed back inside. She grabbed a cold beer and sat on the couch to wait for Maura.

A while later Maura can out of the bedroom wearing jeans that perfectly hugged her figure and a flowing black top with an open back. Jane's mouth instantly went dry. She stood up and walked over to Maura. Stopping in front of her, Jane said quietly, "You look amazing," making Maura blush.

Maura looked Jane up and down before looking into her eyes, "You don't look half bad yourself." She leaned in for a kiss but pulled away before it became too passionate – otherwise, they'd never make it out of the apartment. "We make a pretty good looking couple."

Jane chucked, "Yeah, but everyone's gonna be staring at you all night."

"As long as you're one of them," Maura flirted.

"Oh, trust me, I will be," Jane said. "We should go, or we'll never make it out of this apartment."

Maura laughed and gave Jane a quick kiss before walking around her to grab her purse. They walked to the bar with the plan to Uber home since they would be drinking. When they walked through the door, Jane spotted her friends in their usually spot. She grabbed Maura's hand and pulled her behind her as she weaved her way through the bar.

"Hey," Jane said to the table as they walked up. "This is…"

But Jeff cut her off, "Dr. Maura Isles, Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. You didn't tell us she was visiting!"

Jane chuckled. Turning to Maura she whispered, "Jeff has a bit of a professional crush on you."

Maura looked at Jane, unsure if she was joking, but Jane had already turned back to her friends. She introduced each of them to Maura.

Pointing to each in turn, she said, "Maur, this is Jeff. She's an ME for the FBI. This is his wife Laura. Claire, Kate, Craig, Amy, and Ryan. Is anyone else coming?" she asked as she and Maura sat down next to each other.

"No, I don't think so," Claire said. "I know Kevin and Rachel are out of town."

"Kevin is an instructor at the FBI and Rachel is his girlfriend," Jane whispered to Maura. Maura nodded, a bit overwhelmed with all the new people.

"So, what brings you to town?" Amy asked Maura.

"Oh, well…" Maura looked at Jane. She didn't know how much Jane had told her friends or how much she wanted to tell them now. They probably should have talked about this before they got here.

Jane stepped in. "We finally talked," she told Amy. To Maura she added with an apologetic smile, "They kinda know all about how I feel about you."

Maura laughed nervously.

"Does that mean you're finally together?" Ryan asked.

Jane grabbed Maura's hand. She was aware that Maura was uncomfortable. "Yeah, we're dating," she answered. Deciding to give Maura a break, she added, "We're gonna run up to the bar and grab drinks. Does anyone else want anything?"

No one else needed anything, so she and Maura headed to the bar. Jane ordered their drinks from the bartender before turning to Maura. "Are you okay?" she asked. "Is it okay that I told them we're dating?"

"Yes, I'm okay," Maura said honestly. "It will take me a few minutes to be comfortable, but they seem nice and I know you won't let me embarrass myself."

Jane laughed, "You'll be fine, but I promise to take care of you."

"And I'm fine with whomever you want to tell, but you might want to tell your brothers soon. Frankie, especially, probably won't be happy to know so many other people found out before him."

"Crap," Jane said under her breath, making Maura laugh. "Yeah, I should probably call them. Honestly, I'm shocked Ma hasn't told everyone in Boston, but I think they would have text me if she told them." Before Maura had a chance to respond, the bartender came back with their drinks and they headed back to the table.

Both Jane and Maura enjoyed their evening. Maura even got a burger along with everyone else. Maura became increasingly more comfortable as the evening wore on; she really enjoyed Jane's friends and was sad she wouldn't be able to spend more time with them. When Jane went to the bathroom later that night, Kate and Claire told Maura they wanted to throw Jane a going away party before they went back to Boston, so she exchanged phone numbers with them and promised to talk to them during the week to plan something.

Later that evening, they left the bar. Both were quite tipsy, making them laugh uncontrollably at everything. They made out in the backseat of their Uber. Good thing the ride was so short, Jane thought to herself. Otherwise, the driver probably would have been very uncomfortable.

Maura was leaning against Jane as Jane tried to unlock her front door. With Maura's hands all over her, it took her a few attempts to actually open the door. As soon as she closed the front door, Maura pushed her against it and captured her lips in a passionate kiss. Jane's hands immediately went to Maura's hips and pulled her close. After a few minutes, Maura pulled out of the kiss and whispered to Jane, "I want you."

Jane froze. She wasn't sure if she was ready for this. Yes, she wanted Maura, but she was still scared. Apparently, Maura could see this in her face though. Before Jane could say anything, Maura said, "It's okay Jane. I want you to be ready, too."

Jane sighed and looked down. If Maura didn't have her pinned against the door, she would have tried to leave her embrace. "I'm sorry, Maura," she said quietly.

Maura shook her head, "No, you have nothing to be sorry for. I can wait – we can wait." Maura pushed back from Jane and grabbed her hands. "Come on. Let's change and get in bed and cuddle. Nothing more, I promise."

Jane nodded. She still felt bad. She didn't want Maura to think she was rejecting her, but she was relieved that Maura didn't push the subject.

Both of them went through their nighttime routines, washing off the remnants of the bar and brushing their teeth. When they climbed into bed a while later, Maura rolled to face Jane instead of spooning her from the front. She laced their fingers together and pulled Jane's hand to her lips giving them a kiss.

"I love you, Jane. No matter what. I hope you know that. Yes, I want to make love to you, but I don't want that until you're ready."

"I know," Jane said. "Thank you." She leaned in to give Maura a chaste kiss.

"It occurred to me that I made a comment this morning that I would like to clarify," Maura said.

Jane raised an eyebrow in question, "What comment?"

"I said that if we went much further, I wouldn't be able to stop. But I want you to know that no matter what at any time, we can always stop. All you have to do is tell me. I don't care how close I am or how far we've gone. We can always stop. When I said that I just meant that my arousal was increasing quickly, but…"

Jane stopped her, "Maura, I know. I trust you okay. I didn't take your comment this morning as anything bad. I knew what you meant but thank you for saying that anyway."

"Okay, I just had to make sure," Maura said before yawning.

Jane laughed, "Let's get some sleep." And she pulled Maura towards her so that Maura was laying with her head on Jane's chest and her arm wrapped around her waist.

"Goodnight, Jane. I love you, so much."

"Night, Maur. I love you too."

A/N: The locations in this chapter are made up. This isn't my preference. I usually like to find places and events that are real, but I couldn't find good options for this part of the story, so I decided to make them up.