Last chapter, this one was hard to write. I knew how i wanted this to go but had a really difficult time getting the story to cooperate.

That first kiss was gentle and chaste and so very brief that Maura barely had time to register it was happening before it was over. She opened her eyes and saw a silently stunned expression on Jane's face and decided it was time to push a little harder. This time, it was Maura who initiated a kiss. She was elated when Jane not only didn't pull away but leaned in to deepen the kiss. Maura felt Jane's arms encircle her in a gentle embrace while Maura's hands reached up to gently cup Jane's cheeks. This kiss lasted much longer than the first, it felt like this kiss was about each woman expressing every emotion they were feeling but couldn't quite articulate.

Jane pulled away and looked at Maura. She took in her tousled hair and kiss swollen lips and she was overcome by the beauty of the woman in front of her. "That was, uh, wow. Amazing. Maura, you are amazing. Why did we take so long to do that? Let's do it again."

Jane leaned in for a third kiss that immediately increased in intensity and passion. Maura's hands slid down Jane's back to her firm ass and pulled the taller woman as close as possible, when she felt the other woman flinch and pull away.

Jane's flinch caused Maura's feeling of elation to immediately dissolve. "Oh Jane, I am sorry that was forward of me. I should have asked before touching you like that."

Jane looked at Maura, confused for a second, and then replied. "No, Maura, nothing to apologize for. You can touch me however you want. It's just the kissing was a little intense with stitches still in my lip."

Maura looked up at Jane's face in surprise. She had forgotten about all of Jane's injuries. Maura noticed a tiny drop of blood on Jane's lower lip. She reached forward and grasped Jane's chin with her fingers, turning the other woman's face so she could examine the lip. "Oh Jane, I am sorry for hurting you. I can't believe I didn't consider your injuries. I think the stitches are fine on your lip. Did I hurt anything else? I can't believe I got so carried away."

Jane chuckled in response. "Chill out Dr. Isles. I am fine. You didn't get too carried away, it was wonderful. I am perfectly capable of letting you know if something hurts."

"Okay Jane," Maura replied. "Maybe we should tone this down for now and go back to talking."

The two women walked hand in hand back over to the sitting area and seated themselves on the couch. Once they were comfortable, Maura picked up Jane's hand and held it gently in hers. "Jane, have you given some thought to my question? Do you think maybe we can try dating?"

Jane gave Maura a wry grin, "I think a genius doctor pointed out to me that it seems like we already are dating minus the, um, uh physical stuff."

"Jane, may I ask a personal question? You don't have to answer it if you don't want to." Maura asked.

"Sure Maur, what's up?" Jane replied

"Have you ever been physically intimate with a woman?" Maura cautiously questioned her friend.

"No," Jane replied without hesitation. "Have you?"

"Once, in college" was Maura's immediate reply.

Maura looked at Jane and noticed an odd expression on the other woman's face. "Jane does that bother you, the fact that I have been with another woman?"

"No Maura," Jane replied. "I was just wondering why I never knew that about you. It doesn't matter to me who you have been with in the past. As long as everyone involved was consenting adults, I really don't care. In fact in a weird kind of way I am grateful to them. It really is the sum of all of each of our past experiences that brought us to this point. I really wouldn't change anything about my past, even the truly awful stuff if changing it meant I wouldn't end up right here with you."

Maura looked at Jane as her eyes filled with tears and she felt a lump develop in her throat. "Jane," she let out a breathy sounding whisper. "That was the most beautiful, loving thing I think anyone has ever said to me."

Jane reached over and pulled Maura into a gentle hug, pressing a light kiss to the top of her head. "You deserve to feel all of the love Maura," Jane began. "I am ready to give a relationship between us a try if you are."

"Oh, yes Jane. I am ready, so very ready." Maura replied

"Okay then Maura," Jane replied. "I am sorry to ask this of you, but can we take things slow, like really slow? I am not just talking about physically, although my injuries are going to make that difficult for a while. I need you to be patient with me. I am not good at relationships, or talking about my feelings, or being vulnerable. Only because it is you am I willing to try. But, I am going to mess up. You know I will, it's practically built into my DNA."

"Of course we can take it slowly Jane," Maura replied. "Don't worry about messing things up, neither of us are perfect. I am sure we can figure things out as they come up. Just like we have been doing for the last 8 years. Do you want to get into bed and watch a bad movie and talk until we fall asleep?"

Jane placed another gentle kiss into Maura's hair. "Yes Maura, that sounds like a perfect way to end our day."

End

author's note: I am marking this complete for now. I think I may try a more mature sequel at some point if there is interest in reading that. Thank you so much for all of the reviews, favorites and follows. Everyone was so encouraging as i dipped my toes into writing this.