Jane exhaled, wiping her hands on her red dress. Her heels were ones she'd bought with Maura, and she wore a simple silver necklace Maura had given her one birthday a few years ago. Her hair was deliberately curled. She'd bought a new lipstick, finally, one Maura had made her try when they were getting ready together in the gym at work. Her eyelashes felt heavy with mascara, and she clutched her purse, feeling nervous. She hadn't been this nervous for a date in decades. She knocked gently on the door, half-hoping Maura wouldn't answer.

She did of course, in a creamy blue dress of her own, her hair half up, her heels putting her almost the same height as Jane. Her mouth looked soft and kissable, and Jane leaned forward, brushing her lips against Maura's in greeting.

"You girls have fun," Angela called from the kitchen, taking Jo with her out to the guest house.

"Hi," Maura said shyly, looking surprised at Jane's kiss.

"Hey," Jane breathed, looking Maura over again, the bag that matched the heels, the line of her dress modest but hinting at cleavage, the cute blush that spread across Maura's cheeks the longer Jane stared. "You're gorgeous," she added, not wanting to dilute her assessment with any kind of disclaimer that suggested that it was a singular event. Maura's blush deepened and she stepped back, closing the door behind Jane.

"I made reservations," Jane said nervously as Maura offered her some wine.

"I know, I need to tell you something first. The sweat tea?"

"Ugh," Jane shuddered.

"It's an aphrodisiac."

"Oh. Oh! Oh, gross, Ma was drinking that like there was no tomorrow. Ugh. Wait, did you have any?"

"I had a sip. A few days ago."

"Oh. So that's why..."

"It's not why I came onto you," Maura said quickly. "Although perhaps I wouldn't have been brave enough without it."

"Was it gross?" Jane asked, horrified but intrigued. Maura shrugged.

"I've had worse," she said offhand. "And I can't resent it, because it led me to you. Now, about this reservation..."

"Yeah?" Jane asked suspiciously, an eyebrow raised.

"We don't have to go, do we?" Maura asked, eyeing Jane in her dress.

"That's the whole point of a date, and you don't kiss people you're not dating," Jane argued. "No, I need dinner." She looked at Maura. "And I want to show you off, let everyone there know I'm leaving with the hottest piece in town."

"I've been on a lot of dates," Maura said. "It's all just word games and trying to figure out how compatible you are."

"But you stipulated dating as a criteria for kissing," Jane reminded Maura. "And there's a bunch of kissing I want to do with you. You're not asking me to skirt process, are you?" Jane's eyebrows arched, and Maura laughed.

"Ok, but I'm driving," Maura said, grabbing her bag.

"So," Maura asked, once they were seated at the table. She sighed. "I already know your family, your dog is with you mother in my guest house, and I know your medical history. I don't have anything left in mundane first date conversation pool."

Jane laughed. "I can think of something," she said. "How long have you been into me?"

"A while," Maura admitted. "We're so physically and emotionally close, it took a while to separate out what was platonic and what - wasn't." Jane reached her hand across the table, taking Maura's hand in hers. "What about you?" Maura asked finally, dragging her eyes away from their joined hands.

"A while. I played it off for a really long time 'oh of course you think she's attractive, she's really attractive, everyone says so'. If I'd have felt half as much about Casey as I do about you, I'd be with him now. But I'm here, with you."

"Since you bring it up..." Maura sipped at the water Jane had poured for her. "Are you sure? The sexual element of your relat-"

"I'm sure," Jane blurted out, cutting Maura off. "We're in public, geez. Yeah, I don't... I haven't... With women before, but I've never," Jane blushed. "I've never been that..." Jane trailed off. "I don't think it's going to be a problem," Jane finished. "Not for me. But I know you're experience has primarily been with men..."

"I'd always planned to extend my dating profile," Maura said casually. "Men aren't particularly complex, and there's only so many times you can give directions before giving up and driving yourself."

Jane nodded, indicating in front of Maura for her plate to the waiter. "I'm not the most considerate person," Jane admitted. "I'm worried, going into this, that I'm going to hurt you worse than I already did. If you ever hate me again, I don't know what I'd do. Join the navy, probably."

"You hate the ocean," Maura pointed out, and Jane sighed.

"It was an example," Jane said. "Maybe the airforce instead."

"I could see you in a jet," Maura agreed. "But don't look for trouble before we start. Sure, sometimes you think before you speak, but the moment you see me upset you always work it out. You've never challenged my independence, you've never treated me as less than, and you've never made me feel bad about my body. You're already ahead of the last few men I dated. And," Maura said, sipping her wine, watching Jane slice up her own meal, "you're not a serial killer. And you've never tried to implicate me in a crime. And you've never hit me."

"Your bar for dating is so low. Wait, which one of them hit you?"

"He's already dead," Maura said breezily and Jane gaped at her. "The colorectal surgeon," Maura reminded her, and Jane nodded.

"Just as well," Jane muttered darkly. "Or I'd have killed him myself."

"You're very protective," Maura pointed out. "Normally that's not something I look for in a partner, but it's attractive on you."

"And smart men - they're always boasting and putting me down. Can't stand them. But on you - it's adorable. You're a genius, but you don't make me feel stupid."

"You're clever in a different way to me." Maura ordered desert. "And I admire all forms of intelligence."

"You're my best friend," Jane said. "You're the first person I look for when something terrible happens, and you're the first person I look for when something great happens."

"We do seem to be compatible in a dating sense," Maura said, paying the bill. "And you don't seem upset that your mother knows we're out on a date, or that people did stare at us while we were obviously on a date."

"Why would I care what people think about us?" Jane asked breezily, opening the driver side door for Maura. "I'm a female cop. People always make that assumption, and here I am, living up to it."

"We do have some different values, and they may cause conflict down the line," Maura mused as she drove them home.

"Such as?" Jane asked.

"Cleanliness, what constitutes as healthy food."

"And your solution?"

"They're not deal breakers necessarily."

"So we're dating?" Jane asked, turning to Maura as she parked her car.

"Yes," Maura said, leaning over the gearstick to kiss Jane. "Would you like a coffee?" Maura asked suggestively.

"You're always telling me I shouldn't have coffee after noon - oh! Yes, I would like 'coffee'."