A/N: I apologise for the delay in getting this update to you all. Stupid life gets in the way. lol. I'm still undecided about whether this is the final chapter, or if I should write one or two more. We will see :-)

When Jane woke the following morning she found herself once again alone in her bed. It wasn't entirely unusual or unexpected; she had grown accustom to falling asleep next to Maura and waking alone. She would often stumble out of bed to find that the ever productive Medical Examiner was already up cleaning, making breakfast, or, Jane's favourite, brewing coffee.

This morning felt different, though. There was anticipation and expectation in the air. Although Jane was scared of what was developing between Maura and herself, she was also… giddy. And Jane was rarely, if ever, giddy. But it was her giddiness that helped her realise that this was what she wanted; Maura was what she wanted.

With this in mind, Jane made her way out of bed and to the kitchen in search of a caffeinated beverage. As expected, Maura was by the bench brewing a batch of coffee. Jane stood silently in the entryway of the kitchen, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed, watching Maura's 'coffee porn' routine. While she was always happy to satisfy her caffeine addiction with a simple instant coffee, she couldn't deny that she very much enjoyed Maura's insistence for something a little more exotic. Mostly because she (secretly) enjoyed it much more, but also because she found Maura's routine amusing. The seductive annotations Maura once used to describe how coffee is brewed had embedded itself into Jane's memory, and it was what she envisioned and recalled every time she watched Maura making coffee since.

Jane watched the look of concentration on Maura's face; the precision in her coffee making. The way her body swayed from side to side, skirting from the sink, to the coffee machine, to the coffee cups, all with the grace of a goddess. She had a relaxed demeanor that one only possessed when they are comfortable in their surroundings. Jane loved the fact that Maura was as much at home in her kitchen as she was in her own.

"You're awake," Maura said with a smile, startling Jane from her musings, before turning back to her task. "Coffee? It's almost ready."

Jane smiled as she pushed herself off the wall and made her way to lean over the bench beside Maura. "Thanks," she replied, rubbing her face in a sleepy manner. "You're up earlier than I expected."

"Couldn't sleep," Maura replied as she poured the coffee into two cups and handed one of them to Jane. She leaned over the bench next to Jane, her hands around her coffee cup.

"Me neither," Jane sighed, sipping her coffee looking straight ahead.

"We should talk about it," Maura reasoned, staring into her coffee.

"About why I can't sleep, or why you can't sleep?"

"Both."

"Ah yes," Jane replied, standing upright and turning to lean her back against the bench. "The proverbial elephant in the room," she finished, sipping her coffee, watching Maura over the rim of her cup.

Maura stood, confusion evident on her face, and eyed Jane suspiciously before glancing around the room. At this, Jane couldn't help but laugh.

"Maura, sweetie," Jane started, placing her hand on Maura's shoulder with a smile, "It's a metaphor."

"Oh," Maura replied returning Jane's smile, before frowning, "Wait, a metaphor for what?"

"Well, if there were an elephant in the room, and…" Jane halted, unsure how to explain it. "Ok, so, if no one in the room wanted to… Wait," Jane halted again before sighing. "It just means that there's something in the room that no one is talking about, but everyone knows is there."

"Oh," Maura replied, now understanding. "You mean, like the sexual tension between us is something that we both know is there, but we are hesitant to actually acknowledge it?"

Jane smiled at Maura's forwardness. "Yes, Maura. That is exactly the elephant I was referring to."

Jane pushed of the bench and made her way to the lounge room, making herself comfortable on the sofa. As she curled her feet up underneath her, she looked over at Maura, who was still standing in the kitchen watching her, and beckoned her over with her eyes by looking at the spot next to her. Her eyes followed Maura as she made her way to the lounge room and took a seat next to her, also tucking her feet comfortably underneath her.

"Any plans for today?" Jane asked.

"Are we ignoring the elephant again?" Maura replied with a flirty smile.

"No," Jane replied, mirroring Maura's smile. "I'm just attempting to ascertain how long we have to discuss the… elephant, and perhaps…" Jane paused, hesitant to finish her sentence as she inhaled deeply.

"Perhaps?" Maura questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"Perhaps… explore? A little?" Jane answered nervously, her eyes diverting to her coffee before taking a sip to fill the silence.

Maura smiled, biting her bottom lip as she looked through her eye lashes at Jane. She watched as Jane nervously sipped her coffee, relishing Jane's vulnerability because it meant that Jane was as affected by her as she was by Jane.

"Only a little?" Maura whispered questioningly.

Jane's eyes instantly went to Maura's, searching, trying to see just how much this recent revelation about their relationship meant to Maura. While it was obvious that Maura was flirting, as a response to their mutual sexual attraction, she also noticed nervousness and tenderness in her eyes.

Jane let out the breath she was holding before responding. "Maura, this is serious," she replied with a contradicting playful smile.

"Jane," Maura drawled, sitting forward to place her coffee cup on the table, "I know this is serious," she finished, sitting back closer to Jane than before. "I'm very serious… About you."

"Really?" Jane asked with a relieved smile.

"Yes, really," Maura replied as she reached out to brush stray hairs from Jane's face.

"Thank goodness," Jane replied with a sigh as she closed her eyes and moved forward to lean her forehead against Maura's.

"Jane," Maura sighed, her eyelids instinctively closing as she felt Jane's arms wrap around her.

"I don't understand where this came from," Jane whispered, recognising the intensity with which her body's was reacting to the beautiful blonde in her arms.

"Me neither, Jane," Maura replied in hushed tones as she placed her hands on Jane's hips.

"But it doesn't… I mean, it just feels…" Jane hesitated.

"Right," Maura finished for her.

"Yea," Jane replied moved back slightly to look at Maura. Her eyes gazed down to Maura's lips, anticipating their softness.

"Kiss me, Jane," Maura whispered, looking at Jane's lips.

Without any hesitation, Jane inched forward and captured Maura's lips with her own in a tender kiss.