Chapter 6: Hoover Dam & Lake Mead

A/N: If you read my one-shot "The Halloween Costume," you know this already, but I've been pretty sick for the last two weeks, which is why I haven't been posting recently. I'm not 100% back yet, but I'm getting back to my old routines. I won't be back to my regular posting schedule as quickly as I'd like, but I'm going to continue posting as I can – and hopefully get back to regular posts asap.

Sunday
Jane

"Shit!" Jane cursed under her breath. She had started her period, but she hadn't thought to pack any supplies. "Maura, do you…"

"Look behind you!" Maura called back before Jane finished her question.

Jane frowned and turned around without getting off the toilet. On the bottom shelf of the over the toilet cabinet sat a box of her preferred tampons and a box of her preferred pads. She quickly finished up and washed her hands before going to find Maura in their bedroom.

"You hate that brand of tampons," Jane said.

"But they're your favorite," Maura said. "I still wish you would consider the organic…"

"Maura," Jane whined.

"I knew you were likely to start your menstrual cycle on this trip, but I also knew you'd likely forget to pack supplies," Maura explained matter-of-factly. "If you did, you'd just have extras. No harm, no foul."

"How do you know when I supposed to start my period? Wait, do you track my period?"

"No, not specifically, but we spend so much time together that I can't help but notice," Maura shrugged.

Jane snorted in amusement. She stepped forward and engulfed Maura in a massive bear hug. "You're so weird, and I love it," she mumbled into Maura's hair.

Maura laughed brightly as she returned the hug. "And I love you," she said, "even when you forget to pack the necessities."

Jane laughed too, pulling back just enough to look Maura in the face without letting go of her. "I love you, too," she said before giving Maura a quick kiss. "This does mean that we're going to have to wait to…" Jane trailed off awkwardly.

"Consummate our marriage?" Maura said with a smirk. She tilted her head in thought before adding, "For the record, I'm not against period sex." Jane scrunched her nose at the thought, drawing a laugh from Maura. "But I suppose it wouldn't be very romantic for our first time."

"Yeah, I'd rather just wait until we get home," Jane said shyly.

Maura searched Jane's face for a few minutes before speaking again. "You know, even if you didn't start your menstrual cycle, you could have just told me that you wanted to wait until we get home," she said, correctly interpreting Jane's words.

"I know," Jane said. "I just…I didn't want to disappoint you."

"Jane," Maura said with a hint of sadness in her voice. "You could never disappoint me by being honest with me about how you're feeling."

"I know."

"Do you?" Maura asked. "Because I don't want to do anything you're not ready for or don't want."

"But I do want it," Jane said, her shoulders dropping. Maura guided them to sit on the bench at the end of the bed, pulling both of Jane's hands into her own. Jane looked down at their entwined hands. "I do want to 'consummate our marriage,'" she said, using Maura's words. "I'm just nervous, and like I said last night, I want it to be special. I don't know why I feel like that means it should be at home."

Maura squeezed Jane's hands to reassure her. "Please don't put so much pressure on yourself," she said. "We're going to wait until we get home, until we're both ready. That doesn't have to be right away when we get home either."

"Thanks," Jane said, lifting her head and smiling at Maura.

Maura leaned forward with a smirk on her face and whispered into Jane's ear, "Besides, we're sharing a wall with our mothers, and I tend to be loud."

Arousal shot straight to Jane's core, and heat flooded her body in response to Maura's words. Maura chuckled lightly as she watched Jane blush profusely before she leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the cheek.

When Maura started to stand, another thought occurred to Jane. "Wait," she said, pulling Maura back down. "We're married."

"Um, well, yes," Maura said, confusion evident in her voice. "But I thought we were reading the same book…"

"On the same page," Jane corrected, rolling her eyes playfully. "And yes, we're on the same page about everything we've talked about, but there's something we haven't talked about – married people usually live together."

Jane felt nervous as she watched Maura process her words. Her face was a mask of shock before a gigantic smile grew on it. "Move in with me!" she suggested excitedly. "Even before all of this, I've always loved when you stay over. I hate saying goodbye to you at the end of the day, and I can't wait until I see you again in the morning. You're the last thing I think about before I fall asleep and the first thing I think about when I wake up. I want you to also be the last thing I see before I fall asleep and the first thing I see when I wake up."

"You sure about that? I can be grumpy in the morning," Jane teased.

Maura laughed brightly. She wrapped her arms around Jane from the side. Giving her another kiss on the cheek she said, "I think I'm pretty familiar with grumpy, morning Jane, and yes, despite knowing all sides of you, I'm very sure."

"Good," Jane said, turning her body to return Maura's hug and resting her head on Maura's shoulder.

"Is that a yes?" Maura asked, hope evident in her voice.

"Yes," Jane replied, equally happy.

Maura

Maura looked down at her notes. "Okay, Jane is driving the black Escape, Frankie is driving the red Edge, and Vince is driving the blue Escape," she said, making sure the driver who was listed on the car rental was in fact driving the car they were assigned to.

They were taking a day trip to visit the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. They planned to do the self-guided tour of the dam before spending the afternoon and evening visiting the Lake Mead Recreational Area. They had reservations for a dinner cruise on Lake Mead, as well. Nina had been the one to request the visit to the Hoover Dam, but Maura was really looking forward to getting away from the city for the day – maybe everybody was.

Frankie, Nina, Angela, and Catherine left first in one car, followed by Vince, Kiki, Tommy, and Frost in the second car. Hope and Cailin were riding with Jane and Maura.

"You know, Maura, since Jane can no longer be your maid of honor, I thought I'd let you know that I'm available," Cailin teased from the backseat, earning her a light smack on the arm from her mother and a chuckle from Jane. Maura wasn't sure she should admit it, but Cailin's words warmed her heart.

"Hey! What about me?" Jane teased.

Cailin laughed. "Hmm, well, maybe if you can make it worth my time, I'll be your maid of honor," she played along with a smirk.

"Hey!" Maura exclaimed playfully.

"I'm kidding. I'm kidding," Cailin relented. "Sorry, Jane. Maura's my sister."

"To be fair, neither one of them have actually asked you to stand up with them," Hope added, and Maura could tell that despite trying to sound playful and teasing, Hope was still nervous about joking around with them. She was glad that Cailin felt comfortable with the teasing, but she wondered if there was a way she could make Hope feel more comfortable.

All three of them laughed. "Well, don't worry, Cailin," Maura said. "When the time comes, I would be honored if you would be my maid-of-honor. We're not quite there yet, though," she added.

"Well, technically you're past it since you're already married," Cailin quipped.

"You're really good at this little sister gig, aren't you?" Jane teased.

"Well, I have nineteen years of being annoying to make up for," Cailin said.

"You're doing a good job of that," Jane said with a laugh. Maura was grateful to Jane for keeping the conversation light after Cailin's comment, which had the potential to bring them down. The truth was, Maura didn't really want to always have to avoid the truth of her, Hope, and Cailin's history. It was part of them, and there was no changing that, so she'd rather they just move forward. She was loving getting to spend time with Hope and Cailin on this trip. Maybe she should feel pressured by Cailin's comments about being her maid-of-honor, but Cailin's teasing felt very sibling-like, which is exactly what Maura wanted.

Jane and Cailin continued to tease each other and joke together for the rest of the drive. They arrived just after the other cars at the Hoover Dam. They decided to do the full Hoover Dam Tour, which included a tour of the powerplant and the passageways within the dam itself.

"Because the building of the dam began during the height of the Great Depression, thousands od men and families moved to the area in hopes of finding work," Maura explained quietly to Jane as they enjoyed the tour of the dam. The tour was enjoyable, but Maura felt like the tour guide was skipping many of the most interesting facts about the construction of the dam. "The southwest United States wasn't very densely populated in the 1930s. In fact, Las Vegas had a population of about 5,000 people at that time. Exact numbers are unknown, but it's estimated that the between 10,000 and 20,000 unemployed individuals moved to Las Vegas to work on the dam.

"Interestingly, the federal government created a brand-new city to house the influx of people. Boulder City was created specifically to house construction workers who helped build the Hoover Dam," Maura continued as they stopped at one of the viewing spots along the tour. "It was managed by the federal government for nearly thirty years, but in 1960, it was incorporated as an actual city."

Maura nearly lost her train of thought at the feeling of Jane's hand tracing soft patterns on the small of her back as they stood waiting their turn to take pictures. It was such a simple yet intimate touch, and it warmed Maura's heart. She and Jane had always been more tactile with each other than either of them was with anyone else. However, Jane seemed unable to keep her hands off of Maura now that they had taken the next step in their relationship, and Maura loved it. She hadn't been surprised the previous day – they had primarily either been just among their family and friends or…at the strip club (which was not only a unique atmosphere, but they were also slightly intoxicated). However, today was different. They were in public, and they were away from the heady atmosphere of Las Vegas. This felt more real.

Trying to stay focused on what she was saying instead of Jane's touch, Maura continued, "Over the six years of its construction, approximately 21,000 individuals worked on the dam with about 3,000 to 5,000 workers on payroll at a time. It was one of the largest and most expensive projects undertaken by the federal government up until that point, and I believe it is still one of the few projects of such a large scale to come in both under budget and ahead of schedule."

"Yeah, the federal government doesn't do anything under budget or ahead of schedule anymore," Jane quipped.

"That's not entirely true," Maura couldn't help but add. "However, I get your point."

Jane laughed lightly and pulled Maura towards her so that Maura was leaning against her side, and she could wrap her arm around Maura's waist. Maura leaned her head on Jane's shoulder just enjoying the closeness as they took a step forward to enjoy the viewing area.

After completing the tours and spending some time in the visitor's center, they were all hungry, so they decided to return to their cars to find somewhere to eat lunch.

Maura couldn't help but continue sharing what she knew about the dam as they walked to their cars. "Did you know that the Hoover Dam wasn't always called the Hoover Dam. It was originally called the Boulder Dam, and even after it was renamed, there was significant controversy about naming it after former President Hoover, especially given his role as the sitting president at the start of the Great Depression."

"The dam provides power for as many as 1.4 million households across three states: Nevada, Arizona, and California."

"Is there anything you don't know?" Jane quipped as they climbed into the car.

"There's a lot I don't know," Maura said seriously.

"Well, you knew more than the guy who's paid to know random facts about the dam," Jane teased. "I bet you can tell me more that we haven't already learned yet today," she challenged.

Maura considered ignoring the challenge just to annoy Jane, but her brain wouldn't let her. The additional facts were threatening to burst out of her, so she acquiesced, "The Hoover Dam has been the target of terrorists since World War II. It was closed to the public after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor, and there was a known bomb threat from the Nazis. It closed again for a few months following September 11th."

Jane laughed brightly. "See, I told you," she said, happy to be proved right.

"Whatever," Maura said, rolling her eyes.

Frankie had chosen their lunch location. "The Coffee Cup" was a famous diner with award winning food in Boulder City, but Frankie really just wanted to go there because he saw it on Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives. Jane had immediately forced Maura to watch the episode (not that it required that much arm twisting). It wasn't exactly Maura's favorite menu, but she was glad that everyone else was so excited to try it. And after they finished, she had to admit that the food was actually pretty good.

After lunch, they gathered by the cars outside the diner. Maura looked at the folder she had pulled out of her purse to check their itinerary.

"The dinner cruise departs at 5:30pm," Maura said. "The reservation says we should arrive by 5:15pm; however, I think we should all be there and ready for dinner by 5pm, so we have about four hours to spend at the Lake Mead Recreational Area this afternoon. There are a number of options, but based on prior conversations, I think everyone wanted to either go to the beach, go on a hike, or do the scenic drive. We have three cars, so not everyone has to do the same thing. I'm also open to other suggestions if anyone wants to do something else."

"Are you sure you don't have a secret previous life as a travel guide?" Frankie teased as he leaned against the car listening to Maura.

Maura blushed, unsure of whether he was annoyed or please, but she didn't have to wait long to find out.

"I'm just teasin'," Frankie said. "Really, Maura, you have no idea how much we appreciate everything you've done to make this weekend great."

Maura felt her blush deepen, but she was pleased that Frankie and Nina both seemed to appreciate everything she had put into planning the weekend. More than anything, she wanted them to enjoy the weekend, but she had truly enjoyed planning everything. For most of her life, she had planned intricate travel itineraries for herself…and pretty much only herself, maybe one other person. But now? Now, she had friends and family. Friends and family who wanted her to not only plan these things, but they wanted her to be a part of them.

"I'm feelin' like the beach," Nina chimed in, and Frankie, Tommy, Frost, and Cailin quickly decided to join her. Maura was slightly surprised that Jane didn't want to go to the beach; Maura was just planning to do whatever Jane chose. Everyone else decided to do the scenic drive, which worked out well. Cailin was able to fit in the usually undesirable middle seat in Frankie's car, and everyone else stayed in the cars they had previously been in.

"Why don't you drive?" Jane suggested, handing Maura the keys since they were both on the rental car reservation. "Hope, you should sit in front with Maura. I'll sit in the back."

Jane didn't wait for a response as she climbed in the backseat.

Maura was slightly nervous. Up until this point, all of her bonding time, as Jane called it, with Hope had followed a set social script whether it was dinner, coffee, or working together at the MEND clinic. Maura was now realizing that she didn't really know what to say now, and she found herself falling back into her old standby – rambling off facts.

"Building the dam significantly changed the ecosystem in the area. Lake Mead didn't exist before the Hoover Dam was built and is still the largest man-made reservoir in the United States. The dam also eliminated natural flooding of the Colorado River, devastating local native fish populations and plant life," Maura said. "It's essentially become a new ecosystem, much of which provides a number of tourist attractions, including fishing. We'll be able to see some of the changes in the natural landscape on the driving tour.

"Lakeshore road is the original main road through the Lake Mead Recreational Area. It travels along the south side of Lake Mead. We're going to start at the southern end of the 12-mile stretch so that we can continue right onto Northern Road. Also, we're already at the southern end since it essentially ends at Boulder City," Maura added lamely.

"Anyway, there are some stops along Lakeshore Road that we can take pictures, but most of the stops are actually attractions, things like camping, fishing, and so on. Northshore is more scenic. At nearly 50 miles, it's also much longer, so we likely won't do the entire drive since we'll also have to drive back the same distance."

"It's not just one big circle around the lake?" Jane asked.

"No, Northshore Road ends at the north end of Lake Mead, and there isn't really an easy way to drive around the remainder of the lake. Also, that would be much longer. If there are some stops along the drive that we are unsure about whether or not we want to stop and get out of the car, we can always skip them on the way north and then decide whether we want to stop on the way back south based on our timing."

"Yeah, sounds good," Jane replied.

Maura frowned. Jane's voice sounded especially tired. It wasn't surprising; Jane usually didn't feel well when she started her cycle, but Maura still didn't like when Jane wasn't feeling great. On the other hand, she had to smile at the realization that she already knew Jane so well, that she could tell so much just from the tone of Jane's voice. She already knew the little things and the big things about Jane, and she loved every part of her.

The scientific part of Maura's brain said that she needed more hard evidence about actually dating Jane before she could be so certain about their future, but everything inside of her was telling her that this relationship was going to work. She had worried that anxiety, regret, or indecision might creep in as the initial excitement of admitting their feelings passed and reality set in. True, they hadn't really returned to reality, but still, she found that she only got more excited about their future the more she thought about it.

"Maura?" Hope's voice cut through Maura's distraction.

"Hmm?" Maura replied. "Oh, sorry, I got lost in thought."

"Is everything okay?" Hope asked.

"Yes, everything is wonderful," she said honestly. "But I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude. Were you asking me something?"

Hope chuckled. "I was just letting you know that Jane fell asleep," she said, pointing over her shoulder.

Maura glanced in the rearview mirror. "Let's let her sleep until we get to a good spot to take in the views," Maura decided.

"Is she feeling okay?" Hope asked, concern lacing her voice.

"She's not sick," Maura said. "But she probably isn't feeling well. She started her menstrual cycle today, and she usually suffers from fatigue, headaches, and abdominal cramps the first few days of her cycle."

"Mauraaaa," Jane whined from the backseat. "Are you guys really discussing my period?"

Maura chuckled. "Well, if it helps, we thought you were asleep," she admitted.

"I was asleep. I woke up just in time to hear you list my symptoms, but no, that does not help," Jane said in mock indignation, but Maura could tell that Jane didn't really mean what she was saying. "At least you didn't list cranky," she added.

"Mood swings resulting from fluctuating hormones…" Maura started.

"No, no, no!" Jane said. "We are not going to discuss my fluctuating hormones, especially with your mom in the car."

"Hope is a doctor," Maura replied matter-of-factly. "In fact, she's an ob-gyn, so…"

"Nope, no," Jane said. "New topic of conversation."

Hope laughed at their banter. "Alright, Jane, what would you like to talk about?" she asked.

"Literally anything other than my bodily functions, please," Jane replied.

They fell into light conversations for the first part of the drive, and they stopped a few times along Lakeshore Road to take pictures. Eventually, though, Jane fell asleep again, and Maura decided they should drive all the way north first. Then, she would wake Jane as they made stops on the way south.

"You know," Hope started timidly, "your impromptu marriage to Jane has made me wonder what you actually want from your wedding one day. I'm not trying to pressure you to plan anything. It's just that I've heard Cailin talk over the years about things she might want for her future hypothetical wedding, and I'd love to hear what you've always wanted. Only if you want to tell me, I mean," she added nervously.

Maura smiled to herself. "My fantasy wedding," she said.

"Yes," Hope prompted.

"Well, the truth is, it's changed quite a bit over the last few years. Jane and I actually had a similar conversation once. I told her that I wanted my dress to be silk charmeuse with an empire waist and a 20-foot train, and the ceremony would be on the cliffs of Santorini, right above a volcano. I also wanted a hazelnut almond, chocolate ganache, and maybe mocha buttercream cake. Actually, I still want that cake," she added with a laugh.

"But you don't want the dress? Or to get married in Greece?" Hope asked.

"I'm honestly not sure about the dress," Maura admitted.

"Well, there's something to be said for actually going to the bridal shop and trying on dresses until you find the perfect one," Hope said.

"Yes, I'm very much looking forward to that," Maura said. "And I hope you'll be there when I do."

"Of course, I would be honored," Hope replied, the happiness evident in her voice.

"I'd like Cailin there as well and Angela, my mother Constance, and Nina. That's probably it though. I suppose I'd have to think more about it. Anyway, I no longer want to get married in Greece. Now, I very much want to get married within driving distance of New England. There are just too many people in my life now that I really want at my wedding that wouldn't be able to travel to Europe. I would willingly pay for everyone, but most of them would never accept that. Plus, a destination wedding asks a lot of guests on top of just the financial considerations. Anyway, I want to get married in or near Boston now. However, a honeymoon in Greece would be high on my list."

Hope chuckled. "When I married my ex-husband William, we took our honeymoon in Cape Cod. To be honest, it was rather anticlimactic. Actually, that pretty much describes our entire relationship."

Maura nodded, unsure of what else to say. Instead of commenting on Hope's marriage, she offered a memory from her own childhood, "When I was twelve, I wanted to marry Antonio Benivieni."

"Well, that would have been difficult given that he lived and died over 500 years ago," Hope teased. "However, I find it very endearing that you wanted to marry the man who pioneered the autopsy."

Maura blushed, but pushed on, "I wanted to be Maura Dorothea Isles Benivieni."

"That would have been a beautiful name," Hope said. "Although, I have to admit that I'm surprised that you plan to change your name."

"I was twelve at the time," Maura reminded her with a laugh. Maura took a deep breath and decided to try to open up to her mother more than she usually would. "But actually, it's something I've thought about a few times throughout my life. Well, three times to be more accurate."

"Three times?"

"When I was with three different significant others, I mean. I suppose it's likely that I actually thought about it more than once each time, but I can't accurately quantify…"

"I understand," Hope interrupted kindly. "I just didn't realize that you had seriously considered marriage in the past."

"Well, one of those people is Jane," Maura admitted with a laugh. "But yes, there were two men that I dated in the past who, at one point, I thought I'd end up marrying. The first was my college boyfriend, and the second was my boyfriend from my time in MSF."

Maura could tell that Hope wanted to ask what happened, but she wasn't sure if she wanted to get into that right now. "My parents…I mean, Constance and Arthur…"

"Maura, it's okay," Hope said. "They are your parents. You don't have to avoid calling them that in front of me. Do I wish things had been different? Yes, but since they weren't, I'm incredibly grateful for what your parents did for you, for raising an amazing young woman."

"I'm not very close to either of my parents," Maura blurted out.

"I can't comment on your relationship with them," Hope said slowly, clearly choosing her words carefully. "But I'm at least grateful for the things they did right."

"I am too," Maura said quietly. "But as I was saying, my parents probably would have wanted me to take my college boyfriend's last name. He came from a very prominent family. However, I wouldn't have. At the time, I was still building my professional reputation. My identity was also very important to me in a different way than it is now.

"As for Ian, I think I would have taken his name if it had been important to him, but since it wasn't something he cared about, I doubt I would have changed my name."

"And with Jane?"

Maura felt her cheeks get warm. "Well, I haven't talked to her about it yet, but I'd really like it if we both took each other's names. If she feels strongly about keeping her name, though, which she might, I'd be okay with that, too," she said.

Jane woke just as Maura was pulling off to stop at one of the scenic overlooks. The rest of their drive was pleasant as the three of them enjoyed the views and spending time together.

They arrived at the dinner cruise at a quarter to five, giving them enough time to change and freshen up before the cruise. As the rest of their group arrived, Hope was engaged in conversation with Cailin, leaving Jane and Maura with a modicum of privacy.

"How do you feel?" Jane asked as she leaned against the wooden fence overlooking the marina. "After bonding with your mom?"

Maura smiled as she turned to look at Jane. She leaned her hip against the fence and loosely crossed her arms in front of her chest. "You were awake the whole time, weren't you?" she asked knowingly.

"Not the whole time," Jane hedged.

Maura laughed. "I should have known since you weren't snoring," she teased.

"Hey! I don't snore!" Jane countered, feigning offence.

Maura raised her eyebrow at Jane, who conceded, "Fine, whatever. But I woulda 'woken up' if you guys seemed to get into uncomfortable conversations." Jane used her fingers to make air quotes when she said the words 'woken up,' drawing a laugh from Maura. "But it seemed to be going well."

"It did," Maura admitted, turning so that she too was leaning against the fence, standing next to Jane. "Thank you," she added, bumping Jane's shoulder with her own.

Instead of responding with words, Jane wrapped her arm around Maura's shoulders and pulled her close. They stood together in silence for a few minutes before Jane added, "By the way, if you really do want to take each other's names, I'd like that. Maybe not the second we get home. I don't know. I guess it might be a meaningful thing to do after we have a real wedding since we won't be filing a marriage license."

"I love that idea," Maura said, smiling as she turned to kiss Jane.

Just as she started to get lost in the kiss, they were interrupted. "Hey, lovebirds!" Tommy called. "Are you guys coming or what?"

Jane rolled her eyes, but they returned to join the group.

Jane

Jane was really enjoying the dinner cruise. Since it was pretty much limited to two hours, dinner was served efficiently to allow the patrons to have enough time for pictures and enjoying the scenery.

Jane walked out onto the viewing deck. She had returned their empty glasses to one of the bussing tables. Her eyes scanned the deck for Maura, easily finding her love among the throngs of people. She paused for a few moments to watch Maura. She couldn't believe that this was happening, that Maura returned her feelings, that they were married. More than that, she couldn't believe that she really wasn't freaking out at all.

Jane felt herself falling even more in love with Maura as she watched the other woman talk to Hope, Catherine, and Angela. The setting sun highlighted the gold in Maura's hair, making her look like she was glowing. As she watched, she noticed that Maura had wrapped her arms around herself. The temperatures were falling fast despite the heat of the day. The drastic changes in temperature between the day and night in the desert still surprised Jane.

Jane walked over to join the conversation. She stepped up behind Maura and wrapped her arms around her, using her own body heat to keep Maura warm. Happiness flooded through Jane when Maura instantly relaxed against her, leaning her back against Jane's front and linking her hands with Jane's. Jane saw her mother notice their embrace, but she found that she didn't really care. She was enjoying this too much to be embarrassed. Holding Maura whenever she wanted to was definitely something she could get used to.

Jane stayed close to Maura for the rest of the evening. She uncharacteristically let Maura drive them back to Las Vegas. Even if she didn't like to admit it (or hear people talk about it…even Maura), Maura was right that Jane didn't feel great. By the time they got back, Jane was ready for bed even though it wasn't that late. Most of the group decided to go down to the casino, but Jane just wanted to go back to their room. Of course, Maura came with her.

"You could have gone to the casino with everyone else," Jane said as they climbed into bed. "I didn't want to ruin your night, too." Jane meant what she said. She wanted Maura to have all the fun that she wanted, but at the same time, she was really, really glad that Maura had come up with her.

"Jane, you didn't ruin my night," Maura said firmly. "I want to be here with you." Maura opened her arms, inviting Jane to lay in her arms. Usually, Jane's ego wouldn't allow her to be the one being held. But this was Maura, and given that she didn't feel great, Jane couldn't turn it down.

"I love being here with you," Maura whispered into Jane's hair as she stroked her hand up and down Jane's back comfortingly.

"I love being here with you, too," Jane admitted.

A/N: It's very unlikely that they would be able to get seating for 12 at The Coffee Cup at lunchtime, especially on a weekend, but hey, it's my story, so they get to eat at The Coffee Cup. 😉

Also, this was supposed to be a smutty, funny story, but it seems to be headed more in the direction of sweet. The characters always seem to decide for me. {shrug}