Minor trigger warning.

The sun was streaming in through the window as Jane began to groan and open her eyes in lazily. A little stunned by the intense light, it took her a moment to adjust and then to note that she wasn't alone. Gracefully lying next to her was Maura, still peacefully sleeping. She made an effort not to make any more nose as she rolled over to reach for her phone which was atop the drawers just beside the bed.

7:06am

"Ew," she muttered before slapping her hand over her mouth in aide of silence. Jane quickly looked over to Maura who was still sound asleep. She exhaled with relief as she lowered her hand to her abdomen where it could rest comfortably.

Truth be told, Jane wasn't really sure what to do. She wasn't usually the first one up, - unless it was to yell at her brothers for snoring. – Jane closed her eyes and tried to get back to sleep for a while (a few minutes) only to find that she couldn't find a comfortable position. She heavily exhaled again with a little bit of a huff before rolling back on to her back and staring idly at the ceiling.

After a while she got lost in irrelevant thoughts, enough so to distract her from her restlessness. Before long though, she felt a hand atop her own resting just below her rib cage.

"G'morning," a sweetly mumbled voice spoke next to her.

Looking to Maura once again, she was not disappointed to see that the sun light now shone on her hair, making it glisten stunningly.

"Hey," Jane smiled as she spoke quietly. "How'd you sleep?"

Maura simply nodded with a slight hum of approval.

The two fell silent momentarily; comfortably quiet.

"How do you feel?" Maura asked genuinely.

"Hm?" Jane replied, not quite sure what she meant.

Maura smiled pleasantly and added, "Yesterday… This… I suppose they are big moves, for both of us."

To her surprise, Jane was calm in response. She didn't hesitate or flinch, she just smiled and said, "good." She looked to Maura again to gauge her response before cautiously adding, "How do you feel?"

Maura thought for a moment before saying assuredly, "Happy."

They both smiled with appreciation to their feelings and the events of this weekend.

Jane swallowed and said, "you know, you're the first person to see my," she paused, "legs." She didn't mean to say it, and she wasn't sure if she had actually wanted to say it either, but some part of her pushed the words out her mouth.

Maura pursed her lips slightly in thought, before lightly grazing her nails on Jane's skin before allowing her hand to travel to her upper thigh and rest there.

Jane fisted the hand on her abdomen, retreating from the words she'd just spoken.

Maura wasn't shy, but she was gentle as she once again brushed her thumb lightly over the slightly raised scars. Looking to Jane's somewhat tenser hand, she said honestly, "If you ever, ever want to talk, please know that I will always be around." Truth be told, she was entirely sure how to react either, but she decided that being as genuine as she could would be the best, or at least most positive, step to take.

Jane didn't really understand the response. She had planned for this day practically since she began cutting, but it never went like this. Completely non-judgemental, unconditional support? The concept seemed foreign. In a knee-jerk manner, she manoeuvred her leg away slightly, so Maura's fingers were now resting on just the pads of them slightly below the scarring. It was scary for Jane, and she didn't really know how to respond. It wasn't an area that she felt comfortable talking about, which was news to her. She thought, hoped, that she'd gotten past it all.

Maura noticed her blatant uneasiness and instinctively drew her own fingers back as if to retreat and show that she wasn't a threat.

Much to her surprise though, Jane found that she actually kind of hated that. She wanted Maura to be close to her; touch her. There was absolutely nothing wrong with what Maura said or did, and she didn't want her to think that she was wrong either. "Sorry," she mumbled quietly, not quite game enough to look Maura in the eye.

Maura furrowed her brow in confusion. In her eyes, Jane certainly hadn't done anything wrong. If anything, she felt like she might have over-stepped the boundaries a little and that she should apologise. "What for?"

Jane shrugged and said apologetically, "It's just not really something I'm used to talking about or… addressing at all, apparently." She wasn't mad, really, she just didn't know what to do.

They were both quiet for nearly a minute as they tried to process what was happening.

Maura, still laying on her side, lifted her head up to fluff her pillows a little and rest her head on her hand. Finally breaking the silence, she began speaking in a reminiscent tone; "When I was younger, I never really felt that I fit with anyone."

Jane just looked on good-naturedly, quite beguiled by her capacity to always have something to show that Jane was yet to learn about her. Never will Maura be underestimated.

Maura, though speaking honestly, didn't seem to make much eye contact as she spoke as if she were ashamed or embarrassed of her words and feelings. "My parents were always working and travelling and, although I'm sure they loved me, it just seemed that I was almost a burden to them." She pursed her lips sadly before continuing, "I don't think they knew it and, if they had, I'm sure they would have attempted to amend the situation in some fashion, but I could never really relate to them." She stopped momentarily to contemplate her current relationship with them. "I guess I still can't…But," she was quick to add, "we're all adults now with our own lives, so I suppose our bonds aren't so heavily weighted."

Jane stared at a very raw sadness that she didn't recall having ever seen in Maura. Before she could process it all and comment though, Maura went on.

"As I got older, I found other things to love and become immersed in. I loved to learn, and I was lucky enough to even have some teachers who enjoyed teaching as much as I did studying. Socially, though, I was almost always an outcast. I was always the nerd or the freak. I spent a lot of time in the library because, usually, there wouldn't be many students and there was always at least one teacher nearby to supervise. I was picked on a lot, so looking out for a teacher became a way of survival, you might say." She paused once again, trying to put things into perspective in her own mind. "Hence, my lack of social skills and my tendency to retreat to academia." As she finished speaking, she slowly refocused her eyes back on Jane. "I have not self-harmed… And I can't imagine what it must have been like to feel as if that were your only option. And although my adolescent experiences, I suspect, don't even begin to compare to what you have been through, I know what it's like to be alone. I don't want you to ever feel that way."

Jane swallowed and licked her lips as she thought about everything Maura had just told her. After a moment, she said quietly and in the most honest way, "You are amazing. Thank you." There was a look in Jane's eyes of vulnerability, but she didn't fight it. Without breaking eye-contact, she inhaled a nervous breath, leaned in and finally kissed Maura on the lips.

It only lasted a couple of seconds, but it was enough for Jane's hand to be resting on the dip of Maura's waist and for Maura's to have found a comfortable place on Jane's hip.

"Jane?" Maura asked cautiously. "May I kiss you again?"

Jane didn't answer. Instead, she slid closer to Maura and pressed her lips against hers. Her hand tugged at Maura's waist, pulling her in even a little closer. The kiss began gently, in time growing deeper and more wanting. Maura's fingers danced along Jane's hip in rhythm, occasionally pushing down onto her skin causing passion to stir between them. It was a slow and tender kiss, though it lasted quite a while.

Eventually they broke for air and simply lay almost entwined in one another. It was the most at home either of them had felt in a relationship, and that was a big thing.

Alrighty then kids, that's that chapter.

Hope you enjoyed it and continue to enjoy the story.

Would love to hear any feedback you might have about any of it (including where you want things to go).

Thank you kindly for reading.

CC

PS: Apologies for my speaking being a little more UK English than American English. It is simply my native tongue, though I'm hopeful that it doesn't impede your thoughts on their likeness to the original characters.

Hope you're enjoying the story.