A/N: I apologise for the delay in posting. I have family in town and I have had less time than anticipated for writing/posting. Also, a few of you have asked and I wanted to say that we will indeed be seeing more of Panda and her story but Maura and Jane will not be adopting her.

Jane was getting soft. As a Detective she could go days on mere naps. Now, her schedule having normalised over her months as an instructor, she was struggling to stay awake at 11 pm. Jane stifled another yawn and changed her position in bed.

Alyson had called around 6:30 to let Jane know that a complication had occurred with one of their patients and Maura would be home late. Jane had originally thought that Maura was simply making someone else make her excuses but as the hours ticked by, Jane knew Alyson was telling the truth. Even being horribly mad at Jane wouldn't keep the woman out to this hour. Not when she had to catch a flight tomorrow. Not when her suitcases were half packed. Jane sighed and closed her eyes for a moment, just a moment.

She woke to the sound of Berry in distress, howling downstairs. Jane sat bolt upright. A glance at Maura's side of the bed told her that Maura had not yet made it home. It meant that whatever Berry was barking at was a danger to Maura. Jane armed herself quickly and took off, ducking around corners, looking for the threat while she made her way to Boston.

What she found broke her heart. Maura had collapsed at the front door, sobs pouring down her face and wracking her body, as Boston tried to climb in to the woman's lap. Jane had gone to her side immediately and was surprised at the way Maura grabbed her, holding on as if Jane was the only thing keeping Maura ashore. It was a desperate, clinging grab. Jane returned the hug with as much strength as she dared.

Jane didn't know how long it took for Maura to calm down, long enough for Jane's knees to ache and her feet to begin to tingle. Not that it mattered. Jane would have stayed there until dawn if it was what Maura needed. She was, however, grateful when Maura let Jane move her towards the couch. Jane wrapped Maura in her favorite blanket and then dashed off to the kitchen to make Maura her favorite calming tea. When that was finished she returned to find Maura taking deep breaths even as she patted the dogs heads. Each dog had claimed a knee and was staring up at Maura with adoring eyes. Jane had to hide a chuckle, she knew the feeling.

'Here you go Maura,' Jane said softly handing the tea over before taking a seat beside her. Maura moved automatically, throwing the blanket over Jane's lap as well. As though Maura was insulating the two them against all the bad in the world. 'Difficult patient?' Jane asked, not really sure what to expect.

Maura nodded, taking a slow sip of her tea, 'child abuse turned child abandonment.'

Jane winced. Being on the force, Jane had seen some truly horrible things but nothing hurt more than seeing the broken tiny bodies of kids. Jane could only imagine how much worse it was when the kid was still alive, sitting in front of you, expecting you to heal them. 'I'm so sorry Maura,' Jane sat quietly for a moment, 'I'm really glad you were there for them, you know? They needed to have a doctor like you taking care of them.'

'I couldn't do much,' Maura whispered, 'gave her some pain killers and then handed her off to child protective services while she begged me not to.'

Jane wrapped an arm around Maura as she began to cry, 'yeah but you got her out of a dangerous situation and you made her feel safe with you. I know it doesn't feel like much but that matters Maura.'

Maura nodded and laid her head on Jane's shoulder. 'I'm sorry for waking you,' Maura whispered, 'I didn't mean to.'

Jane pressed a kiss to Maura's head, 'I mean you didn't, Berry did, but it doesn't matter. I wanna be here for you Maura. Even if that means midnight wake ups. If you want me here, I want to be here.'

Silence stretched between them and Jane began to wonder if she said the wrong thing. Then from the silence, Maura's voice was small and soft, 'I always want you here Jane.'

'Yeah?' Jane asked, 'because you've been really good at avoiding me lately.'

Maura made a sound that sounded like a cross between a hiccup and a sob, 'I know and I'm sorry.'

Jane nodded, 'I think I could have coped better if I knew why you were avoiding me. If I pissed you off, I could have apologized. You know?'

'It seems so stupid now,' Maura replied, 'I was so excited for our date. And you were so supportive and wonderful about my having to leave but it felt like you maybe...'

'Wasn't excited for our date?' Jane ventured. Maura nodded. 'I'm so sorry sweetheart. I thought I was being supportive. I never want to be the person standing in your way Maura. You're so brilliant. I love it. I want you to always know that I'm right here cheering you on. But I guess what you really needed to hear was that I was really looking forward to our date too. That our personal lives matter to me just as much, if not more than our professional ones.'

'I'm sorry too, for not telling you what I needed,' Maura replied.

Jane looked Maura in the eyes, brushing a stray hair behind her ear, 'I love you Maura Dorthea Isles and I am so excited for everything we're doing together. And I promise, I will always be excited for our dates, even if they take a while to come around.'

Maura offered her a teary smile before whispering, 'I love you too Jane.'

Jane smiled back. For a moment, just a moment, Jane wondered if she should do it. She wanted to. It felt natural. And then Maura made the choice for her. Maura pressed forward, leaning in to Jane's space. Jane could smell the hints of her perfume, feel the heat of her body. Then their lips met soft and sweet. It was short, too short if you asked Jane, but that didn't make it any less potent. Jane's lips tingled, her whole body humming in pleasure. Jane couldn't resist the smile spreading across her face when she saw the flustered blushing look Maura wore.

'We should definitely do that again,' Jane murmurred before leaning forward and pressing her lips back in to Maura's. It was so different from kissing guys. There was no uncomfortable brush of stubble. No unpleasant chapping. Just soft, sweet, pliant lips. Maura's lips. When Jane pulled away, another lazy smile spread across her lips. 'I'm never kissing any one else ever again,' Jane murmurred.

Maura chuckled, 'that's fine by me.'

'Good,' Jane replied. The pair sat in a happy bliss until Maura yawned, making them both laugh. 'Let's get you to bed. You've got a plane to catch in the morning.'

Maura groaned, 'don't remind me!' But she followed Jane up the stairs anyways.

Soon after, they settled in to their respective spots in bed, letting that blissful intimacy suffuse the darkness. Maura found her way in to Jane's embrace, leaning her face up for a kiss good night. Jane happily obliged, a plan already forming in the back of her mind. She'd help Maura see exactly how much Jane loved her.