"Thank you for taking such good care of Rosa today and thank you for staying. It means a lot to me. I know the last few days, well, years really, have been hard for you. They've been hard for me too. I'm so thrilled that you're back and I'm sorry that I didn't really show it. I was just in shock; it was a huge surprise. After all this time, I really believed that you weren't coming back." My voice cracked with emotion.

It was hard admitting that. I should have had faith in Jane. I should have believed that she would find her way back to me when she was ready. I wiped away a few stray tears and tried to continue both making the coffee and talking.

"I missed you so much, Jane. It felt like a huge part of me was missing, for three years I felt utterly lost and incomplete. Do you know what the worst part was? I waited for three years and you never returned any of my calls. It never seemed like you missed me and that… Hurt, it really hurt."

I began to sob. I couldn't contain it anymore, I had to let it all out. As I poured the coffee, I realised that Jane hadn't said anything. I was pouring my heart out to her and she didn't say a word. I turned to face her and instantly I understood why she was so quiet. I shook my head in disbelief and couldn't help but laugh.

"Well, this was a good talk. I should have figured you were asleep… If you were awake, you would have interrupted me!" I joked.

I gravitated towards her. She is so beautiful when she sleeps. She's beautiful all the time but especially when she's asleep. She is so delicate and fragile and vulnerable. She is absolutely breath-taking. I pulled the blanket off the back of the couch and draped it over her. Immediately she clenched her fists and began to curl in on herself. It was evident that she was very distressed and probably experiencing a terrible nightmare. I didn't know what to do or how to help her, all I knew was that I couldn't leave her. Not like this. Not ever. I carefully lay down beside her and twisted to fit the mould that she was in. The couch wasn't exceptionally wide but there was enough room for both of us. This was the closest I had felt to Jane in a long time, not just physically but also emotionally. I gently brushed her long, unruly, raven hair away from her face and whispered in dulcet tones, desperately trying to soothe her.

"Ssh… It's okay, Jane. I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere."

She instinctively nestled into me and so I wrapped my arms around her, hoping she'd feel safe in my embrace. Before long, my eyes slipped closed and sleep washed over me.

I opened my eyes and found myself staring into Jane's. Shakespeare claimed 'the Eyes are the window to your soul' and although I remain sceptical about the existence of a human soul from a scientific standpoint, it felt like Jane was finally letting me in completely.

"How long have you been awake?" I asked.

"Not long." Jane said huskily.

"Why didn't you wake me?"

"I thought I should let you sleep and I guess I like watching you – in a totally non-creepy way!" Jane quickly added. "It's just, you looked so peaceful and I didn't expect to wake up next to you."

"It looked like you were having a nightmare. I didn't want to leave you." I explained.

"Oh." Jane stated.

"Do you want to talk about it?" I queried.

"No thanks, Maur. It doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters, Jane. You can tell me anything, you know that." I explained lovingly.

Jane looked like she wanted to say something but she stopped herself. After a moment of hesitation, she began to talk.

"I was being childish when I walked away from you. I gave you an ultimatum the night that I left and that wasn't fair. I fought back for all the wrong reasons. I was being stubborn…" Jane began to cry softly. "and I can't take that back, I wish that I could. Did I want to go? Sure I did. I loved being an agent. But I want you to know something, Maura. There was never a day where I loved it more than you."

Jane's speech moved me to tears. There was so much I wanted to say but it suddenly seemed like no words had ever been written.

"When I look back at my time in D.C. I'm not proud of it because I know you weren't proud of me."

"Is that what you think? That I wasn't proud of you?" I asked desperately.

"How could you be? I let you down, I let Rosa down, I let my family down and I let myself down. How could anyone be proud of that, Maur?"

I hated seeing Jane like that. I had to do something.

"I have to show you something." I informed her.

Jane followed me into my bedroom.

"Maura, what are you doing?"

I entered my closet and lifted a shoebox from the shelf.

"Really, you want to try on shoes now?!" Jane asked sarcastically.

I handed Jane the box and she began to inspect it.

"Open it." I instructed her.

Jane cautiously lifted the lid and unfolded the tissue paper. She looked inside the box and suddenly registered what was inside. She slumped down onto my bed and I perched next to her.

"These are newspaper clippings… The Washington Post, The Washington Times and pretty much every other newspaper in D.C."

She looked up at me, her eyes full of emotion. I refused to break eye contact.

"I know. I assumed at least some of these were your cases. I was hurt, Jane. But I was so proud of you. I am so proud of you." I clarified.

I watched as a single tear escaped from the corner of her eye and so I wiped it away with my thumb. Jane placed her hand over mine and I offered her a soft smile. I could feel the sparks, the chemistry and I couldn't resist the urge to kiss Jane any longer. I moved forward and kissed her. It was soft and sweet and tender. I lifted my other hand to cup Jane's face. Jane pulled away and rested her forehead against mine and my heart ached.

"I love you Jane." I whispered.

Before I could say anything else, Jane pressed her lips against mine and I responded. I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her closer and she sighed. I had kissed many men before but this – this was completely different. This was new because before it was just passion, before it was just some guy I had chemistry with, but Jane is so much more than that. She is my best friend, my partner and in spite of everything that's happened, she's someone I can count on, someone I trust. Jane Rizzoli is the love of my life.