Disclaimer: I do not own any of these characters, just the words.

Chapter Five

Jane and Maura stayed at the coffee shop, talking about their lives for a few hours.

Jane told Maura a bit about her family. She spoke fondly about her two little brothers back in Boston, whom she hadn't seen in years. Maura noted that the brunette had deliberately not mentioned her parents and stayed away from stories that involved them.

She listened intently as Jane told her about all the shenanigans that she and her brothers got up to before she had left Boston for New York. Maura filled away her questions about why the brunette left Boston in the first place and where her parents fit into the picture.

Maura in turn told Jane that she had been adopted as a baby and raised by Constance and Arthur Isles. She told Jane about her complex relationship with her parents that had gotten better over the last few years. She even mentioned that she had tried to find her birth parents but had come up empty because it was a closed adoption.

The pair had once again fallen into a comfortable silence and Maura was reminded of her words from a few hours ago.

"I feel very comfortable with you." She smiled at the memory of Jane saying, "me too".

"What are you smiling at?" Jane's voice brought her back to reality.

"I was just thinking about today," Maura started. "I've loved spending time with you."

"Me too," came Jane's immediate reply.

"Do you have work this evening?" Maura asked.

"No, I have the next two days off. Why, are you trying to get rid of me?" Jane asked with a smile on her face to show that she was asking in jest.

"Most certainly not," Maura let out a soft laugh. "If I'm honest, I don't want this to end."

"Why don't we go for a walk?" Jane suggested not wanting the day to end just yet either.

Maura immediately agreed and the pair went to settle the bill, which Jane insisted on paying. As they made their way out of the coffee shop, Maura once again shivered when Jane placed her hand on the small of the honey blonde's back to guide her out the door.

Jane offered her arm to Maura, who immediately linked hers through the brunettes. Maura noted how Jane opted to walk on the side of the road closest to traffic as if to protect her. 'She's protective of me', Maura thought.

"You're doing it again," she heard Jane say next to her.

"What am I doing?" Maura asked, almost instinctively bringing her body closer to Jane's.

"Getting lost in that big brain of yours," Jane bumped her hip against Maura's.

"I'm sorry," Maura lowered her head to try and hide her blushing cheeks. "I was just thinking…" she trailed off.

"About what?" Jane glanced sideways to the honey blonde, trying to catch her eyes but failed.

Maura seemed to contemplate her answer while she allowed Jane to guide her across the street. They were entering Central Park. They walked for a while before Jane gestured to a bench and the pair sat down, unlinking their arms.

"I haven't felt this comfortable with anyone in a long time," Maura finally said.

"What do you mean?" Jane questioned.

"I know that we haven't spent a lot of time together and we haven't known each other that long but I feel more comfortable being here with you, right now, than I have in a while," Maura decided that honestly was the best course of action.

Jane angled her body so that she was sitting half sideways on the park bench, facing Maura and placed her arm around the back of the bench. Her hand made contact with the soft honey blonde tresses that lay there and brushed her fingertips against it.

"I know it's weird, but I feel the same way," Jane finally said, her fingers continuing to play with Maura's hair.

Maura smiled at Jane's honesty and reached out for the brunette's hand.

"I'd love to spend more time with you," she said, linking their fingers together.

"What do you do for fun?" Jane asked.

"I like doing anything that will educate me. Going to the museum, reading…" Maura trailed off when Jane made a face. "What?" she asked smiling.

"Nothing," Jane laughed. "Now I know why you're so damn smart."

"Well, what do you like to do? For fun?" Maura countered.

"I like sports. I try to get a run in very morning to keep myself fit," Jane answered. "I used to love going to the gun range to shoot but I haven't been able to do it as often as I'd like since my injury."

"Do you still have your gun?" Maura asked intrigued.

"Yes, I still have a permit to carry. But with my injury, I haven't been able to qualify for active duty…" Jane trailed off.

"May I ask about your injury?" Maura asked carefully.

Jane signed and flexed her hand that was now in Maura's hair, she shifted her focus away from the honey blonde in-front of her and started surveying the park.

"You don't…" Maura started, feeling bad for causing Jane any distress. But Jane spoke at the same time she did.

"Well…"

"You don't have to tell me, Jane," Maura finished.

"It's not all that dramatic, really," Jane started. "The serial killer I mentioned, he had a thing for scalpels. We had caught up with him and he caught me off guard."

Maura squeezed Jane's hand and placed her other hand on the brunette's thigh as a gesture of support.

"He came up from behind me," Jane continued. "Knocked me out cold and when I came to, he was hovering above me. He was about to stab me with a scalpel in my hand when I tried to get the upper hand again. The scalpel ended up in my shoulder, tearing multiple muscles and leaving some nerve damage. I'm a lefty, so it took me a while to regain mobility in my left arm."

"Technically, I can shoot a gun with my right hand but to qualify, you need your dominant hand. So, I'm still going through physical therapy," Jane shrugged at the last part.

"I read somewhere that you can still be on the police force without a gun," Maura said the first thing she could remember reading.

"No one wants to be the desk detective by choice, Maura," Jane signed again. She didn't mean for it to come out as frustrated as it did.

"I know. I'm sorry," Maura replied. "But you could go back if you wanted to?"

"I guess," Jane removed her hand from Maura's hair to run her hand through her own. "Why? Would you rather date a cop than a bar tender?" she asked frustrated.

"You want to date me?" was all Maura could respond with.

"That's all you got from that?" Jane asked, her body still turned away from Maura's.

"I'm sorry, Jane. I didn't mean to upset you," Maura tried to catch the brunette's eyes again.

"No, I'm sorry," Jane said, looking up at Maura. "I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's just… a tough situation."

"I know," Maura said in a soft tone.

"I could go back but I'm just not sure if I'm ready, you know?" Jane said.

"I understand. The human body is resilient and can withstand a lot of things. But it takes time to heal from trauma. You have to be patient," Maura's tone was soft and gentle.

"That's not exactly one of my strong suits," Jane laughed.

"That's okay too," Maura smiled.

"I think I've had enough heavy for today," Jane said, standing from the bench and pulling Maura up to stand with her.

"Are you leaving?" Maura asked quickly.

"No," Jane said stepping closer to the honey blonde.

"Okay," Maura smiled shyly. Jane's smell surrounding her, her eyes darting down to her lips.

"It's getting dark," Jane whispered. Their bodies were now almost pressed together, their lips inches apart.

"I don't live far from here. We could…" Maura stopped when Jane stepped away form her. Thinking that she sounded a little too suggestive, she tried to amend her statement. "I mean, if you wanted to go inside…"

Jane smiled and grabbed the honey blonde's hand.

"Lead the way…"

AN – Okay, so this chapter has been rewritten a few times. I didn't want to go the classic Charles Hoyt route but I feel like it backfired and it's too late now because five chapters in, Maura would have noticed the scars on Jane's hands. So writing it in now would feel weird for me. Anyway…