Chapter 11: The Party

Jane

Jane was floating when she arrived at work the next day. Even though it had been an emotionally charged visit, just seeing Maura had lifted her spirits. Even better, she'd see Maura again in about 36 hours when she went to D.C.

Frost squinted suspiciously at Jane when she put down a cup of coffee in front of him. "You're too happy for a Thursday morning," he noted.

Jane paused, wondering if she should tell him that she saw Maura last night, but before she could make a decision, he continued, "Normally, I'd think you got laid last night, but I know your girlfriend is in a different state."

Jane rolled her eyes. "She's not my girlfriend," Jane obfuscated.

"So, you slept with someone else?" he asked, genuinely confused.

"No, of course not!" Jane snapped. She glanced around the bullpen to make sure no one else was listening to their conversation before she sat on the corner of Frost's desk. "We're taking things slow and last time we talked about it, she wasn't ready to be girlfriends, yet, okay? But I would never sleep with someone else while I'm with Maura, regardless of what we call it."

"Yeah, that didn't really seem like you," Frost said nonchalantly.

"But for your information, I saw Maura briefly last night, but ya know, keep it to yourself, okay?" she asked.

Frost's eyebrows shot up in surprise and a smirk took over his face.

"Shut up!" Jane hissed, causing Frost to throw up his hands in mock defeat as he chuckled at her.

Jane rolled her eyes again as she pushed herself off his desk. She would never admit it to him, but Jane loved having Frost as a partner. He was quickly becoming another little brother to her, and somehow, he was able to cheer her up even when her job tried to drag her down.

Jane sat back down at her desk as her mind wandered back to last night. Maura had come to her for comfort. She wasn't ready to be girlfriends yet, but she was willing to fly up to Boston at the last minute just to see Jane. Why was she avoiding fully committing to their relationship? Was it because she didn't see a long-term future for them? Did she just want Jane's companionship for now, until she found something better? Jane couldn't figure out what Maura was thinking, but she knew what she wanted. She wanted to be with Maura, she wanted to tell the world that Maura was her girlfriend, and eventually she wanted to build a future with Maura.

She knew that she should tell Maura how she was feeling and what she wanted, but she was afraid to. She was afraid that if Jane asked for too much too fast, Maura would end things, and Jane did not want this to end. So, for now, she would take what she could get.

Frost left Jane alone for the rest of the week, but Jane kept thinking back to their conversation and her confusion about Maura's feelings about their relationship. However, when she landed in D.C. on Friday evening and she found Maura waiting for her at the airport, all of her concerns were forgotten.

Maura

Even though it had only been 36 hours since she'd last seen Jane, Maura felt happy tears prick her eyes and a gigantic smile cross her face when she spotted Jane exiting the airport. As soon as she was close enough, Jane dropped her bag and wrapped Maura in a bone-crushing hug.

Pulling back, Jane flashed a smile at Maura before leaning in to capture Maura's lips in a loving kiss. "Hey, you," she said softly after they broke apart.

"Hi," Maura breathed out with a smile. She leaned forward to give Jane another kiss before reluctantly stepping out of her embrace to open the door to the backseat of her car. Jane picked up her bag and threw it into the backseat before climbing into the passenger seat.

As Maura navigated them away from the airport and towards her house, she asked Jane, "Do you have any preferences for dinner?"

"Do you remember that Chinese place we had takeout from the first time I visited?" Jane asked.

"Yes, would you like to get takeout from there again? It's on our way home," Maura said.

"Is that okay with you?"

"Yes, of course," Maura responded.

After dinner, Maura and Jane were cuddled up on the couch. "I was wondering if you would be willing to come to D.C. for the 4th of July. One of my colleagues is hosting a fourth of July party for everyone from the ME's office. I'd like to go, but I want to spend time with you more. I was hoping you would come to the party with me," Maura said.

"Yeah, I can do that," Jane said. "Actually, I was going to ask you what your schedule is. I have a lot of unused vacation time that my lieutenant keeps pushing me to use. What if I came down a few days earlier? Even if you have to work, I can occupy myself while you're at work, but we'd still get to spend more time together."

"Really?" Maura asked. "I would love if you came for a longer trip. I'm not sure how much time I could take off though. I already have Friday, July 4th, and the weekend off, but I think we might be short staffed for the rest of the week. I can ask, but I highly doubt I'll be able to take additional time off. What were you thinking?"

Jane shrugged. "I didn't really have a plan in mind; I just know I want to be able to spend more than a day or two together for once," Jane said. "I was kinda thinking I should look at flight prices. I'm guessing since this is D.C., plane tickets probably cost more the closer you get to the 4th."

"We can look at ticket prices now, if you'd like," Maura suggested.

"Sure," Jane answered.

Maura stood up and walked to the kitchen where her laptop was charging. She brought it back to the couch and navigated to the airline's website. Jane leaned into Maura's side to look at the ticket prices over her shoulder.

"You can click flexible dates," Jane said pointing to the screen. "It'll show prices for three days on either side of the dates you pick."

"Okay," Maura said as she navigated the ticket search on the airline's website. When the prices came up, they were higher than Maura expected, and she involuntarily let out a soft, "Oh."

"Yeah, I'm not surprised," Jane said. "It looks like Tuesday is the cheapest. Um, would it be crazy if I came for a week? I won't be offended at all if that's too long, but it looks to be the cheapest option."

"Well, I would love for you to be here a week, but…"

"I'm not asking you to take additional time off work, if that is what you were going to say. Really, I don't mind at all if you have to work the whole time I'm here. I'd still get to see you after work. There're plenty of things I can do on my own during the day," Jane assured her.

"I was going to say that I wasn't sure about work," Maura admitted. "Are you sure?" Maura shifted so that she could see Jane's face more clearly.

Jane smiled as she realized that Maura was open to the idea. She loved the thought of being able to spend a full week with her. "Yeah, I'm sure. Are you sure you'd be okay with me being in your space for a week? The most time we've spent together was when you came to Boston for four nights over Memorial Day weekend."

A broad smile took over Maura's face. She was excited at the prospect of being able to see Jane every day for a week. "I'd love for you to be here that long," Maura answered honestly.

Jane leaned forward and gave Maura a chaste kiss on the lips. "Can I use your computer?" she asked after she returned to her previous position.

"Sure," Maura replied. She started to hand Jane the laptop before she paused. "Wait, let's use my miles."

"Oh, no, you don't have to pay for my ticket," Jane said quickly.

"I mean, you're helping me by coming here, so it only seems fair that I pay. Although, to be honest, I would pay just to see you, even if you weren't doing me a favor. Also, I have a lot of miles, so it's not even really me paying," Maura said as she logged into her account. "Look, see, I have a lot of miles."

Jane laughed; Maura really did have a lot of miles. "Okay," she sighed. "If you really don't mind."

"Not only do I not mind, I want to," Maura said. Jane watched in silence as Maura booked the tickets. Right before she pressed the "confirm purchase" button, she asked, "Are you sure you're okay with this? I just want to make sure before I buy the tickets."

Jane nodded. "Yeah, I'm excited, and my boss will be happy I'm using my vacation time," she said.

Maura closed her laptop and placed it on the coffee table. When she sat back on the couch, she pulled her feet up and tucked them under her body as she turned to face Jane. She leaned forward and took Jane's face in her hands pulling her in for a kiss that told Jane exactly what Maura had planned for them to do next.

Jane's hands instantly went to Maura's hips, pulling her closer as she shifted to better turn her body towards Maura.

Maura threaded her fingers into thick dark curls, holding Jane close. When Maura's tongue swiped across her bottom lip, Jane moaned. Maura took advantage of the parting of Jane's lips to slide her tongue into her mouth. Their tongues moved together in a sensual dance.

After a few minutes, Maura pushed up so that she was on her knees on the couch, leaning her body into Jane's. Jane shifted in response, so that she could lean back on the couch, pulling Maura down on top of her.

Maura moaned when her body laid on top of Jane's. Jane reached behind Maura and slowly unzipped her dress, while Maura's lips left Jane's, pressing soft hot kisses across her jawline. Once she had unzipped Maura's dress, Jane brought her hands up to push the dress off Maura's shoulders. Maura sat up slightly so that she was straddling Jane, causing her dress to fall from her shoulders and bunch around her waist. Jane took advantage of Maura's position and slipped the dress over her head, laying it out on the coffee table – she knew how much Maura hated wrinkles. Maura wasn't paying attention to her dress though as she reached down and slid Jane's t-shirt over her head.

Maura slid down Jane's legs so that she could unbutton her work pants. She stood up and quickly removed Jane's pants, underwear, and socks before slipping her own panties off, so that they both were only in their bras. She reached behind her to remove her own bra, but Jane sat up quickly. "Let me," she said softly to Maura.

Maura smiled and sat on Jane's lap so that they were face-to-face, and Maura was once again straddling Jane. Jane gasped at the feeling of Maura's wet center pressed against her pelvis. Maura leaned forward to resume their heated kiss. She reached behind Jane's back to remove her bra at the same time Jane removed hers. When their breasts brushed against each other, Maura moaned loudly into Jane's mouth. Jane took advantage of Maura's distraction to flip their positions. Maura gasped as her back hit the couch but smiled when she saw the look of desire on Jane's face as she climbed back on top of her.

When Jane leaned down and took Maura's right breast in her mouth, Maura's hands returned to Jane's head, threading through her hair to hold her close. She also brought her legs up and wrapped them around Jane's waist, grinding into her hips. Maura continued to moan loudly as Jane's mouth worked its magic on her right breast, and Jane's right hand came up to massage her left breast. Jane continued her ministrations for a few minutes until Maura was squirming beneath her. She switched so that her mouth could pay equal attention to Maura's left breast while her left hand played with Maura's right breast, pinching and pulling at her pebbled nipple.

"Jaannneee," Maura whined and begged. "Please, please…"

Jane released Maura's breast with a pop before she shifted to rest her weight on her right arm. She pulled Maura's right leg from around her waist and straddled it so that she could grind down on Maura's thigh while pressing her own thigh into Maura. She shifted her weight back to her left arm and brought her other hand down between Maura's legs, brushing lightly across her molten center. Maura's hips instantly bucked, and she continued to beg, "Jane, please, I need you! NOW!" She screamed out the last word as Jane thrust two fingers into her. Their hips began moving together as they ground against each other's thigh. Jane used her own thigh to push her fingers deeper and harder into Maura, curling her fingers on their way out.

As they both got closer to their release, their moans increased in volume, the sounds bouncing off the walls of Maura's open-concept house. Maura's fingers dug into Jane's shoulders as she felt her orgasm start to crash through her body. She screamed Jane's name as every muscle in her body contracted, her thighs clamping around Jane's leg, and her walls pulsing around Jane's fingers. When she felt Maura begin to convulse against her, Jane quickly followed her over the edge, calling out, "oh my god, oh my god, Maurraaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa, ahhhhhhhhhhh, yes!"

They collapsed together against the couch, and Jane gently removed her fingers from inside Maura, causing Maura's body to jerk in response. Jane buried her face in the crook of Maura's neck, breathing in her scent as they both tried to catch their breath. When Maura regained some of her strength, she brought her hand up and ran her fingers through Jane's hair, reveling of the comfort of Jane's body weight pressed against her own. She felt at peace, she felt at home, she felt safe, and she felt loved.

Jane shifted her head so that she could face Maura. They shared a soft smile before Jane placed a light kiss on Maura's lips. Maura tried to return the kiss, but she couldn't wipe the smile from her face. This caused both of them to start giggling. Maura wrapped her arms around Jane's shoulders to keep her close, her body warm from the feeling of Jane's laughter coursing through her body. Jane started placing wet kisses over every part of Maura's face, causing her to laugh even harder, but her laughter quickly transformed into a moan when Jane's tongue entered her mouth.

"Aww, I didn't mean for you to stop laughing," Jane teased, her fingers lightly brushing the side of Maura's breast, drawing a gasp in response. She started to tickle Maura's side, causing her to shriek as peals of laughter left her. She tried to squirm away from Jane's fingers, but Jane's body was holding her in place. Tears started leaking from her eyes as she laughed harder than she ever had before. She screamed as Jane quickly stood from the couch, bringing Maura with her. Maura's laughter continued as she wrapped her legs around Jane's waist, allowing Jane to carry her upstairs.

They spent the rest of the night making love until they fell asleep utterly exhausted but satisfied.

Jane

Jane enjoyed the rest of her weekend with Maura, and Sunday afternoon came too fast for her liking. As she boarded the plan, she reminded herself that she'd be back in a little over a week and she'd get to be with Maura for a whole week.

The week passed slowly. Fortunately (or maybe unfortunately in Jane's opinion since she preferred the thrill of working a case to filling out paperwork), their team didn't get any new cases that week. She spent most of the week catching up on paperwork, and the rest of the week going through other detective's cold cases to see if she could find anything new.

On Saturday morning, Jane met Frankie, Frost, and Gia at the park for two-on-two basketball. After Jane and Frost beat Frankie and Gia, the four of them went to the corner deli for lunch; then, Jane and Gia headed back to Jane's apartment. Gia threw herself on Jane's couch while Jane grabbed two water bottles from the fridge.

"How's Maura?" Gia asked as Jane threw her a water bottle.

"She's good," Jane said, flopping on the other end of the couch. "I'm going down on Tuesday for a week. We're going to go to her work party next Saturday for a fourth of July party, or I guess a fifth of July party," Jane added with a laugh.

"So, it's getting serious?" Gia asked.

Jane paused as she brought her water bottle to her mouth, leaving her hand hanging in mid-air. "Um, I don't know," Jane answered honestly.

"You guys have been flying back and forth for weeks," Gia said. "I thought everything was fine after you left my birthday party with her."

"It was; it is," Jane said. "I mean, things are really good. It's just, I don't know how serious this is for her."

"I don't get it?" Gia questioned.

Jane sighed, finally lowering the water bottle. "I don't know. Sometimes, it seems like she really likes me, like when she took care of me when I had the concussion or how she comforted me when I told her about Hoyt."

"You told her about Hoyt?" Gia interrupted.

"Yeah, I did," Jane said. "But at the same time, she wants to date, but she doesn't want to be girlfriends. She doesn't want to commit."

"I'm sorry, Jay," Gia said. "You should ask her."

Jane shrugged. "We talked about it the night of your birthday party. That's when she said she wanted to date, but wasn't ready to be girlfriends," she explained.

"Okay, but it should be an ongoing conversation," Gia pushed.

"I know," Jane said. "I just don't want to lose her."

Gia nodded and dropped the subject.

A few hours later, Gia was gone, and Jane was freshly showered when Jane's phone rang. It was Maura. Jane smiled as she answered Maura's FaceTime request. "Hey, beautiful," Jane said, beaming as Maura smiling face filled her screen.

"Hey, yourself," Maura responded. "Are you busy?"

"Nah, I'm in for the night," Jane said.

"I know you'll be here Tuesday, but I've really missed you," Maura said. "I hope it's okay that I called."

"Of course, I love hearing from you," Jane said. "I can't wait until Tuesday!"

"Mmmhmm," Maura hummed. "Me neither. I'm not sure what you want to do when you're here, but I'm hoping that we can spend some time downtown D.C."

"Yeah, that sounds good," Jane responded. "Honestly, I'm up for anything. I was doing some googling, and I found a few things I plan to do while you're working. Did you know there is a spy museum?"

Maura laughed. "Yes, and I've actually been to it. I was invited to an event held at the museum," Maura told her.

"Oh, that's cool," Jane said. "Did you like it?"

Maura shrugged. "I liked the museum, but to be honest, I like pretty much every museum I go to. The date I went with was horrible, though," she admitted.

"Been there, done that," Jane said. "The horrible date part, I mean."

Maura laughed. "I also have other plans for us," she said suggestively.

"Oh yeah," Jane teased. "And what would those plans be?"

"Well," Maura purred, "I plan to make you scream while you come all over my face, and I want to ride your fingers until every muscle in my body spasms as my orgasm crashes through my body."

"Shit," Jane gasped, her body instantly heating up at Maura's words.

"Mmmm, Jane?" Maura said softly. "Do you want to know what I'm doing right now?"

Jane gulped. "Y-y-yes," she stuttered as her breathing quickened.

"I'm lying on my bed in nothing but my silk robe," Maura whispered. "My hand is massaging my breast as I try to imagine the feeling of your hands on my body."

Jane dropped her phone. Trying desperately to pick it up, she called out, "Shit! Sorry, I…sorry, Maur. Hold on, I'm gonna call you from my iPad."

Jane quickly jumped off her couch, stripping as she walked to her bedroom. She grabbed her iPad off her nightstand, laid down on her bed, and propped up the iPad so that it would look like Maura was lying next to her before she dialed Maura's number.

Maura accepted the FaceTime call, but instead of hearing a greeting, Jane heard her let out a soft moan. Jane's body jerked in response. "Tell me what you're doing," Jane whispered.

"I'm pinching my nipple and twisting it between my thumb and forefinger while my other hand draws random circles on my abdomen," Maura said quietly, her words fast and breathy.

"Ohhhh," Jane moaned in response as her own hand came up to play with her breast. "Oh god, Maur. My own hands are nothing compared to yours, but they still feel so good."

"Where are your hands right now, Jane?" Maura breathed.

"On my breasts," Jane answered, her eyes falling closed as she tried to imagine that it was Maura touching her.

"Mmmm," Maura moaned. "Give your nipples a tug before releasing the tip and allowing your breast to bounce back."

Jane heard Maura's breath hitch at the same time Jane did as she said. "Are…are you doing it too?" Jane asked.

"Mmmhmm," Maura hummed. "Now take your nipple between your fingers and roll it until it's hard as a pebble, giving it a sharp pinch every few rolls."

"I wanna roll my tongue around your hardened nipples," Jane said. "I want to take them between my teeth and tease them until you're moaning and withering beneath me."

Maura moaned in response to Jane's words. "I…I want that too," she breathed out, her hips bucking in response to a particularly sharp pinch.

"Maur, look at me," Jane said, and Maura turned her head to look at the screen. Their eyes locked as Jane continued, "Move one of your hands down your body, while the other one continues to massage your breasts. Let your fingers run through your folds." Maura's eyes fluttered letting Jane know that her fingers had made contact with her clit. "Tell me how wet you are."

"So…so, so wet," Maura moaned. "I'm so wet, for you." Jane's head fell back as she too let out a loud moan when Maura said for you.

Jane let her own fingers find their way to the apex of her thighs. She spread her legs, giving her fingers better access to where she wanted them most. "Shssss," Jane hissed when her fingers brushed her clit. "Oh, Maura, I'm so wet for you, too," she moaned.

"Don't…don't put your fingers inside yet," Maura said. "Just keep circling and teasing your clit."

Jane hummed her response. They laid there for a while, letting their moans and heavy breathing drive each other higher and higher. After a while Jane couldn't take it anymore. "I need to…" she started.

"Move your fingers to your opening," Maura said, "but don't thrust inside yet. I want to do it together."

"Okay," was all Jane could say in response as she lined up two of her fingers to enter herself while her thumb continued to press against her clit.

"Now," Maura said quickly before driving her fingers into her opening at the same time Jane did on the other end of the phone. Throwing her head back at the feeling of her fingers quickly moving in and out, she groaned, "Shit, I'm closer than I thought."

"Mmm," Jane moaned. "I'm getting there."

"I want to come together," Maura said as she slowed her fingers. "Tell me when you're close."

"Okay," Jane groaned. "I will. I just gotta…" Jane trailed off as she inserted a third finger, quickening her thrusts and pulling harder as she curled her fingers on their way out. After a few minutes, her walls started to twitch around her fingers. "I'm…I'm…I'm c-c-close," she said through her pants.

"Me too," Maura said. "Come with me Jane. Come with…ahhhhh…Jaannneee." Maura screamed as she fell over the edge. Jane's own cries indicating she too had reached her climax only drove Maura on. Her fingers moved furiously as she drew out her own pleasure.

When she was done, Jane rolled on her side so that she was facing Maura on her iPad. Once Maura was looking at her again, she brought her fingers up to her mouth, moaning as she licked them clean.

"Oh god," Maura moaned, her head falling back in response to the sight of Jane licking her own juices from her fingers.

Jane giggled lightly as she waited for Maura to return her gaze. "Um, that was hot," Jane said once Maura was looking at her again.

Maura smiled in response. "Mmm," she hummed. "It was, but I still wish I was lying next to you so that I could touch you myself."

"I do, too," Jane said. "I can't wait until Tuesday."

Maura smiled into the phone. "I'm really tired, and I have to work tomorrow, so I should get some sleep, but um, can we keep the video open?" she asked, vulnerability lacing her voice.

"Yeah, I'd like that," Jane said. "I just gotta run and use the bathroom, and I'll be right back, okay?"

Maura nodded.

When Jane returned, she could tell that Maura had moved so that she was under the covers with her tablet propped up on the pillow next to her.

"Goodnight, Maur," she whispered as she too crawled under the covers.

"Goodnight, Jane," Maura responded sleepily.

Maura

Maura was downright giddy by the time she was waiting at Reagan National on Tuesday night. She had never ever ever been giddy before. She bounced on her toes in anticipation as she scanned the passengers exiting the airport. She smiled brightly when she spotted Jane waving to her from the closest set of doors.

Jane instantly pulled her into a kiss when she got to Maura. They wasted no time heading back to Maura's place where they barely made it to the bedroom before their clothes came off.

On Wednesday morning, Maura woke up to the feeling of Jane's naked body pressed against her back and Jane's arms holding her close. She hummed in contentment, willing her alarm not to go off. After a few moments enjoying the closeness with Jane, Maura reached out to pick up her phone and check the time, attempting to minimize her movements so that she didn't wake up Jane.

Maura was disappointed when she saw that her alarm was set to go off in two minutes. She had been hoping that she had more time to cuddle with Jane, but she had to get up and get ready for work. She knew she didn't really have any other choice, but she was still regretting the fact that she had to go to work while Jane was in town. She turned off the alarm before it could go off and quietly extracted herself from Jane's embrace. She shivered slightly when her hot naked skin met the cool air-conditioned air. She leaned over Jane to leave a soft kiss on her cheek before heading to the bedroom.

Maura emerged a while later, showered, dressed, and ready for the day to find Jane still sound asleep. She walked over to Jane, once again leaning over to place a soft kiss on her cheek. Jane stirred and opened her eyes, squinting at Maura.

"Don't get up," Maura whispered. "Sleep. I have to go to work, but I'll leave you a key and the alarm code downstairs by the coffee machine."

"Thank you," Jane said softly, reaching up to pull Maura in for a proper kiss.

"I'll see you later," Maura said.

"Bye," Jane replied sleepily. "Have a good day at work."

Maura smiled as she shut the bedroom door, making her way downstairs to make coffee.

Jane

A few hours later, Jane found herself in Maura's kitchen. She had slept in before showering and getting dressed for the day. She wanted to do something nice for Maura today, so while she waited for her coffee to brew, she pulled up Google Maps and searched for a local grocery store. She found one within walking distance and set about making a list of things she would need to make her mother's gnocchi.

Jane was able to find everything she needed at the store. She also picked up a bouquet of flowers for Maura on her way home. Letting herself back into Maura's house, she quickly put the things she wouldn't need until later in the fridge. She started by making the gnocchi. Once that was ready to go (but not yet cooked), she started the sauce. Since she knew they froze well, Jane decided to make both a Ragu Bolognese and a pesto sauce. While the sauces were simmering nicely on the stove, Jane put together a fresh tossed salad. She set the table and lit candles before glancing around the room to make sure everything was ready. She decided she wanted to play soft music in the background, so she synced her phone with Maura's Bluetooth speaker. Since the gnocchi only took 3 to 5 minutes to cook, she decided to wait until Maura was home to add them to the boiling water.

Maura

Maura let herself into her house when she arrived home from work. She was surprised to be greeted with the tantalizing smells of dinner cooking. She couldn't help the gigantic smile that covered her face as she walked into the kitchen to find Jane swaying to the music playing in the background as she stirred something on the stove. She quietly set her purse and bag on the island chair and stepped behind Jane snaking her arms around her waist and resting her chin on Jane's shoulder.

"It smells amazing," she said into Jane's ear. Jane turned her head to kiss Maura's cheek. Maura reluctantly released Jane and stepped to stand next to Jane instead so that Jane could finish what she was doing. "What are you making?" she asked.

"Um, I made gnocchi," she said as she dumped the gnocchi in the now boiling water and set the timer. "I made Ragu Bolognese and pesto. They both freeze well, so I figured this way you could try both. They're all my nonna and my ma's recipes." Jane turned to face Maura. "I was going to buy wine, but I didn't really know what you liked or what would go well with this," she continued as she absentmindedly waved her hand in the direction of the cooking food. "So, I decided to just let you choose something you have and know you like. I hope that's okay."

"Of course," Maura said leaning forward to give Jane a proper kiss before walking over to her wine cooler. She selected a red wine. It went better with the Ragu Bolognese than the pesto, but it paired well with Italian cuisine in general. She opened the wine and set it on the counter to breath. She went to wash her hands, and by the time she returned to the kitchen, Jane was plating the gnocchi.

"Okay," Jane started, "don't feel like you have to eat both if you know you don't like something. I eat both, so it won't go to waste. Just so you know the Ragu Bolognese has ground beef and ground veal. The pesto is vegetarian but obviously has pine nuts in it. I also made grilled chicken to go with the pesto, but you can definitely eat it with either or both of the sauces."

"Thank you so much for doing this, Jane," Maura said. "This is really a wonderful surprise. I don't think anyone has ever cooked for me before. I mean, since I was a child."

Jane laughed. "I understand what you're saying, Maur," Jane said. "But I'm surprised no one has cooked for you before. You deserve better. I know you don't need someone to take care of you, but you deserve to have someone who wants to take care of you."

"Thank you," Maura said, her voice thick with unshed tears. She put her plate down to pull Jane into a hug.

Jane returned the hug, placing a soft kiss on the crown of Maura's head. Pulling back, she whispered, "We should eat while it's still hot," to try to hide her emotions.

Maura smiled. Picking up her plate, she filled it with some of everything, including gnocchi with both sauces, chicken, salad, and garlic bread. She placed her plate on the table before going back to the kitchen to pour each of them a glass of wine.

When they were both seated, Maura reached across the table to take Jane's hand in her own. Giving it a small squeeze, she said, "This is really sweet. Thank you, Jane."

Jane squeezed her hand back, offering Maura a soft smile. "You're welcome," she said quietly.

They kept their hands linked on the top of the table while they ate in comfortable silence. The food was delicious, and Maura not only finished everything on her plate but went back for seconds.

As they finished eating, Jane said, "I was thinking maybe tomorrow, I could ride to work with you. Then, I can go from your office to the spy museum and do stuff around town while you're at work. The museum isn't that far from your office. When you're done, I can pick you up and we can do something together in the city."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Maura said. "I'm hoping that I can leave relatively early tomorrow. I should be able to let you know by mid-afternoon what time I'll be done. If you're busy, I can always meet you somewhere."

"I can come back to your office," Jane said with a shrug.

They sat at the table for a while longer talking about their days. Maura took comfort in how normal and easy it felt to come home to Jane after work. Of course, she liked that Jane cooked for her (and Jane was a good cook), but it was really about just being together. She had never minded living alone, but she couldn't deny that she would miss this when Jane went back to Boston.

Jane

The rest of the week passed in a whirlwind of activities and time spend enjoying each other's company. They had visited the Smithsonian National Museum of American History Thursday evening where Maura fawned over the First Ladies' outfits. They had returned to the city early Friday morning where they spent the day being tourists, visiting as many museums and monuments as they could. The city was packed since it was the fourth of July, so they decided to find their spot on the National Mall by mid-afternoon to watch the fireworks later that night. Jane had worried that sitting for hours on a blanket would be boring, but with Maura, it was anything but. They continued to get to know each other, sharing stories and laughter long the way.

By the time the fireworks started, they were cuddled close under a blanket, using their bags as pillows. Jane wrapped her arms around Maura, pulling her close. Maura responded by curling her body into Jane's side and shifting her head to rest on her chest. They watched the fireworks over the National Mall, cuddled together, with their fingers laced together. Jane felt so incredibly content at that moment, melting into the feelings of comfort and love for the woman wrapped in her arms.

Early Saturday afternoon, Maura drove them to the party at her colleague's house. Dr. Melissa Tuney was another assistant medical examiner in the D.C. ME's office. She had invited the other MEs as well as the criminologists, lab techs, and administrative assistants.

Jane enjoyed meeting so many of Maura's colleagues. She definitely liked them better than Maura's old medical school classmates at the wedding. It probably also helped that she already knew Susie, who made sure she wasn't left out of conversations when Maura was pulled into conversations with other people.

After dinner, which consisted of the traditional American summer foods of burgers, hot dogs, and chicken sandwiches, Jane left Maura outside while she ran into the house to use the bathroom.

As she exited the house, Jane glanced around the yard for Maura. She saw her standing off to the side with Susie. Jane decided to tease her by sneaking up on Maura from behind, so she walked the long way around the edge of the yard so that Maura and Susie wouldn't notice her coming. With a big grin on her face, Jane was just about to jump out and pull Maura into a hug from behind when she heard Susie's question.

"You just can't shake this one, can ya?" Susie teased Maura.

Maura laughed lightly before responding. "I know," she said. "I promised myself after Harrison that I'd never be in a committed relationship ever again."

"I do understand your hesitation," Susie replied. "Sometimes, I think that the hurt caused by relationships outweighs the good. Maybe you had the right idea, just focusing on fun and sex."

"Personally, I've definitely been hurt more than I've gained in most of my romantic relationships," Maura said. "Sex is a biological imperative, a necessity for a healthy life for most people. Human connection is also necessary for an individual's well-being, but long-term romantic relationships are not."

Jane felt tears prick the corners of her eyes at Maura's words. Now she knew how Maura really felt about their relationship and their future. She silently turned around before Maura or Susie had a chance to notice her and made her way back to the food table to distract herself.

Maura

"And yet," Maura continued, "these past six weeks with Jane have easily been the happiest of my life. Maybe long-term relationships aren't necessary for everyone – and I never thought being in a relationship would ever be important to me – but I can't picture a future without Jane. She's shown me more love during the time we've known each other than any previous lover has regardless of the length of the relationship. I don't want to go a day without talking to her. I want to go to her during my worst moments, and I want to share my best moments with her as well."

"You love her," Susie said simply.

"I…yes, I do love her," Maura said. "I'm not sure I fully understood what I was feeling until just now, though. I have thought I was in love in the past; I thought I loved Garrett, Harrison, even Ian, and maybe I did in a way, but how I felt about them – how I felt with them – is nothing compared to how I feel about Jane, with her. She makes me feel like I can do anything; she makes me feel like I belong somewhere."

"You should tell her," Susie said.

"I know, but I don't think I'm ready for that conversation yet," Maura admitted. Changing the subject, Maura commented, "Speaking of, what happened to Jane?"

"I thought she went to use the bathroom," Susie answered.

Maura laughed. "I know, I just thought she would be back by now," she said as she scanned the yard. Spotting Jane by the food table, she added with a laugh, "Of course, she's back at the food table." She lightly placed her hand on Susie's forearm, telling her as she turned to walk towards Jane, "I'm going to go save her from herself."

Susie laughed but waved Maura away good-naturedly.

"Hi," Maura said as she stepped next to Jane, placing her hand on the small of her back.

"Hi," Jane responded, plastering a smile on her face.

Maura instantly noticed the change in Jane's demeanor, but she wasn't sure what caused it. "Are you okay?" she asked.

"What? Oh, yeah, I'm fine," Jane said quickly. "Why do you think something's wrong?"

Maura tilted her head in confusion, but before she could say anything more, Melissa joined their conversation to ask how they were doing or if they needed anything. Maura kept an eye on Jane for the remainder of the party, but she seemed to fall back into her normal self quickly. Maura wondered if she had missed something or if she had just been imagining Jane's weird reaction earlier. She decided to pay extra attention to Jane over the next couple of days but not to bring anything up unless something else changed.

Jane

Jane tried to enjoy the rest of the weekend she spent with Maura. Most of the time, she was able to forget about her concerns and just enjoy being with Maura. However, on Monday evening she couldn't seem to get out of the funk that had settled over her. She couldn't help but wonder whether this was going to be her last night with Maura. She quickly shifted between wanting to enjoy every last minute with Maura and wanting to cry and ignore the other woman. Maura seemed to sense that something was off, but luckily, she seemed to attribute Jane's mood to the end of her vacation.

"Let's head upstairs," Maura said quietly after they finished cleaning up.

"'Kay," Jane said, not even trying to stop the smile taking over her face. She followed Maura up the stairs and into her bedroom.

Maura shut the door behind them before turning towards Jane and leaning forward to leave a passionate kiss on her lips. Before it could get too heated, Maura pulled back with a smirk, and whispered, "I want you naked in the middle of my bed. I'll be right back." Maura stepped out of Jane's embrace and made her way to the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Jane's eyebrows shot up in surprise, but she followed Maura's instructions anyway. She sat waiting for Maura to return. When Maura exited the bathroom, Jane noticed that she had pulled her hair up in a loose ponytail and was wearing her silk robe, tied lightly at the waist.

Maura smiled as she crawled onto the bed, leaning over Jane, giving her a view of her breasts as her robe hung loosely from her shoulders. Jane reached forward and took Maura's face in her hands, pulling her in for a heated kiss. Maura moaned into the kiss, but she resisted slightly when Jane tried to pull her on top of her, wanting to prolong her surprise. After a few minutes of passionately making out, though, Maura needed to feel Jane's skin against her own. She released Jane's mouth and climbed into her lap, wrapping her legs loosely around Jane's waist. She wrapped her arms around Jane's shoulders and resumed kissing her.

Jane felt Maura's silk covered breasts brush against her own, but she needed more, so she slipped her arms around Maura's back and pulled her close so that their bodies were flush against each other.

Jane gasped when she felt the dildo strapped to Maura's hips make contact with her center. Maura leaned back with a smirk, slowly shifting her hips so that the toy moved against Jane.

"I didn't know you were going to…" Jane trailed off, loosing her train of thought as the sensations travelled through her body.

"Is this okay?" Maura asked softly. Her smile grew when Jane nodded vigorously. "Good, because I want to make you come while I'm deep inside you." Jane groaned in response. Maura leaned back into Jane, placing soft open-mouth kisses across Jane's jawline, and stopping to suck on her earlobe.

Jane reached up and slipped her hands under Maura's robe, pulling it from her body, and dropping it off the side of the bed. Her hands moved to cup Maura's breasts, alternating between massaging her breasts and teasing her nipples. When Maura nipped at her earlobe, her body twitched in response, and she accidently pinched Maura's nipples harder than she meant to. Maura responded with a gasp as the mix of pain and pleasure shot through her body.

"Scoot down," Maura instructed Jane through her quickening breath. "So that you're lying flat."

Jane complied, pulling Maura with her. Their kisses continued to heat up, getting sloppier as their arousal became harder to contain. Maura shifted, lightly pushing Jane's legs open and settling between her legs, the toy pressing harder against Jane's center. Jane's hips bucked in response to the increased pressure and a moan escaped her lips. Maura quickly lifted herself off of Jane, moving to the nightstand to grab the lube. Jane groaned in complaint but allowed her to move.

Maura returned to kneel in between Jane's legs. She sat up so that her knees were at a 90-degree angle and Jane had a full view of the toy. Squirting some lube on her hands, Maura locked eyes with Jane as she seductively applied the lube to the toy. Jane shifted up on her elbows, her eyes traveling between Maura's hand on the toy and her face. Unable to take the teasing anymore, Jane reached up and pulled Maura down on top of her.

Maura shrieked and giggled in response as she landed on top of Jane. Jane's hands once again cupped her face, kissing her hard. Maura allowed the kiss to go on for a few moments before she pulled back, resituating herself between Jane's legs. She lined up the toy with Jane's opening, looking back into Jane's face for confirmation. Jane nodded in response.

Maura instantly thrust into Jane, drawing a loud moan from the woman beneath her. It took them a few minutes to find a rhythm that worked for both of them, but once they did, they began moving faster and faster together. Jane's hands stayed glued to Maura's hips, guiding them as they moved together; Maura's hands were placed on either side of Jane's shoulders, holding her up as she used all of her energy to push in and out of Jane. She felt sweat dripping down her back as she grunted at the exertion. She felt Jane's walls begin to clamp down on the toy, making it harder for Maura to continue her thrusts, but she persisted, determined to bring both of them to their climax.

Maura moved one of her hands, feeling around for the small remote that went with the toy. Her thrusts slowed but did not stop as she found what she was looking for. Picking up the speed of her movements again, Maura panted, "J-j-jane."

Jane opened her eyes and looked into Maura's face. Unable to speak from the exertion, Maura held the remote up. Jane gave her a quick nod before allowing her head to drop back to the bed. Maura turned on the vibration, drawing a scream from her own lips as the vibrations fit the perfect spot against her clit and inside of her. Her movements momentarily faltered, but she collected herself and picked up the pace of her thrusts.

Both women let their moans and cries fly freely around the room as they moved together towards their mutual climaxes. Jane's fingers tightening their grip on Maura's hips told Maura that she was close. Maura added extra power to her next few thrusts until she felt Jane's body arch up beneath her and her walls clamp down on the toy, holding it in place. Maura followed Jane over the edge, her body convulsing as waves of pleasure rolled through her body. Their bodies twitched and jerked as they remained connected by the toy until neither one could take it any longer. Her arms unable to hold her weight any longer, Maura collapsed on top of Jane with one last grunt.

Jane reached around her to find the remote and stop the vibration, but otherwise, neither woman moved, maintaining their connection. They were both breathing heavily, their hearts beating rapidly in their chests as they recovered. After a while, Jane brought her hands up and lightly ran them up and down Maura's back, drawing idle patterns as they traveled across warm flesh. Maura further buried her face in Jane's hair as she enjoyed the feeling of Jane's hands on her overstimulated body.

"You okay?" Jane eventually whispered.

Maura nodded against Jane's chest but still didn't move.

"I'm going to shift you so that I can remove the toy from myself, okay?" Jane asked softly. Maura nodded, and Jane gently rolled them so that Maura was lying on her back. Maura twitched as Jane slipped off of the toy. "Do you want me to take it off of you?" she asked Maura. Maura nodded again but kept her eyes closed. Jane shifted so that she could remove the panties and toy as gently as possible, dropping it at the end of the bed before curling back into Maura's side. Jane allowed her hand to travel up and down Maura's other side, her fingers tracing various patterns across her flat stomach. She felt Maura's abdominal muscles twitch in response to her touch.

Jane continued lightly touching Maura, allowing her hand to brush closer and closer to her breasts with each pass. Eventually, she let her hand lightly caress each of Maura's breasts in turn. Maura moaned at the touch and arched her back, pressing her breast harder into Jane's hand.

Jane shifted so that she was on top of Maura. Maura moaned loudly when Jane drew her into a passionate kiss, her body instantly heating up. She brought her hands up and twisted her fingers into Jane's dark curls as Jane's tongue traced down her jawbone and the column of her neck. Jane took Maura's breast into her mouth, sucking hard. After continuing her assault on Maura's breast for a few minutes, she shifted to provide equal attention to the other.

Maura's body shifted and withered beneath Jane. Maura began pushing against Jane's head, urging her to continue her movement down her body. Jane placed kisses down Maura's toned stomach, stopping to swipe her tongue into her belly button. Maura's hips jerked up into Jane's body in response. Jane continued placing kisses down to Maura's hips before dragging her tongue across Maura's waist from one hip to the other. Jane kissed Maura's mound, but instead of moving to where Maura wanted her, she shifted to place kisses on her inner thighs. Jane started near one knee and kissed up Maura's thigh. When she skipped over Maura's center, Maura whimpered. Jane gave the same treatment to Maura's other thigh, but this time when she got close to Maura's center, Maura strengthened her grip on Jane's head, forcing her to stay in place.

Jane chuckled, the vibrations of her laugh sending a shiver through Maura's entire body. When her tongue made contact with Maura's clit, Maura's hips bucked up forcefully, grinding into Jane's face. Jane brought her hand up and placed her arm across Maura's hips to hold her in place. Her tongue continued to swirl around Maura's clit, increasing the pressure with every circle. When she could feel the tension in Maura's body grow, she added sweeps of her tongue down to Maura's opening. She moved her tongue hard and fast in a figure eight motion around her clit and back to her opening.

Maura's moans were becoming louder and louder as her grip on Jane's head increased in pressure. Jane dipped her tongue just barely into Maura's opening. As she did so, Maura cried out above her. Maura's grip on Jane's hair was becoming painful, so she had to reach up and gently remove her hands from her head. Getting the point, Maura moved her hands to her side, gripping the bedding beneath her body.

After a few more dips of her tongue, Jane brought her hand down. She concentrated her tongue on Maura's clit as she pushed two fingers quickly into Maura. Maura's hips pushed violently against Jane's hold on her as she ground into Jane's face. Jane picked up the pace of her tongue and her fingers, curling her fingers against Maura's front wall on their way out. Maura's entire body was shaking as Jane drove her closer to her second orgasm, her body spasming uncontrollably. Suddenly, Jane sucked hard on Maura's clit causing Maura's body to freeze with her hips pushing up into Jane's face and her thighs clamped tightly around Jane's head. Maura screamed as Jane's tongue continued its ministrations and her fingers continued moving inside her. Jane drew every ounce of pleasure from Maura's body before Maura collapsed back onto the bed, her breathing short and fast as she tried to hold herself together.

Jane licked up the remainder of Maura's juices, careful not to overstimulate her hypersensitive clit. When she was done, she placed feather light kisses up Maura's body until she could plant a soft loving kiss on her lips. Maura returned the kiss and wrapped her arms around Jane's shoulders, holding her close. When Jane laid down against her side, Maura turned into Jane, wrapping her body around Jane's and intertwining their legs. Jane ran one hand up and down Maura's back as the other played with Maura's hair that had been pulled from her ponytail.

"I'm going to miss you," Maura whispered into Jane's chest. "Being with you feels so good."

Jane placed a soft kiss on the top of Maura's head. "I'm going to miss you too," she replied softly, reaching down to pull the covers over both of them.

Jane laid awake long after she knew Maura had fallen asleep in her arms, her thoughts spiraling out of control. Maura's last comment had been that being with Jane feels good. What did she mean by this? Did she mean sexually? Or did she mean it as something more? On Saturday, Maura had told Susie that she didn't do long term relationships and that she was only interested in sex. Jane felt like she had to talk to Maura, but she was sure that as soon as she did this would be over. Was she okay with tonight being their last night together? The short answer was no, she wasn't okay with tonight being their last night together, but on the other hand, she knew that she was only setting herself up to be hurt if she continued this. Objectively, she knew that it was a bad idea for two people who were in such vastly different places to stay in a relationship. Jane had fallen hard for Maura, much harder than she expected. For the first time ever, Jane knew she was in love. Jane was in love with Maura, and there was nothing she could do to stop those feelings. However, Maura didn't seem to feel the same way.

Jane felt the tears start to fall, and she let them. When she felt her emotions start to overwhelm her, she knew she could no longer keep her tears silent. She gently extracted herself from under Maura. She found shorts and a t-shirt. After quickly cleaning herself up and dressing in the bathroom, she made her way downstairs. It was a warm enough summer night that she was able to sit outside even in the middle of the night. She curled herself into the fetal position in one of Maura's deck chairs and allowed sobs to wrack her body. Once she was spent, she returned to the house, washed her face, and crawled back into bed next to Maura. However, instead of wrapping herself around Maura, she laid on her side facing away from Maura.

The next morning, Jane woke to find Maura spooning her from behind. She rolled over in Maura's arms. Maura was still sleeping soundly so Jane allowed her gaze to trace every inch of Maura's face, taking in her beauty and committing it to memory.

A/N: There are two chapters left (one main story chapter and the epilogue), but I'm planning out the sequel. I was wondering if people would prefer if the sequel picked up right after the main story ends (which would put the epilogue of this story in the middle of the sequel) or jump forward to after the epilogue. I know this may be hard to answer since you don't know what happens in the epilogue yet, but it takes place about a year(ish) later, so in that case the sequel would time jump about a year (as opposed to starting right after the main timeline of this story).