Chapter 5

Although she was aware that her mouth was gaping open, Jane couldn't do anything but stare. She tried to speak several times, but failed, realizing that her throat was dry. Jane shifted and forced herself to swallow and take a deep breath, looking up at the M.E.'s innocent smile. All of a sudden she felt very shy.

"You were…dreaming about…me, Maura?" she asked quietly.

The M.E. nodded.

Jane smiled nervously, looking down at the floor. As much as the detective tried to keep up her tough exterior, she was terrified. She now knew for sure that the M.E. had been feeling the same way she had, which meant that logically, there wasn't really any reason to hold back. Still, Jane was having a hard time focusing on anything other than the sound of her heart pounding loudly in her ears.

"Jane, I am so sorry. I shouldn't have said anything. I know I've made you uncomfortable. I should just leave."

"No Maura, don't- I mean, you just uh…caught me off guard. You can just uh, go back to bed and I'll just stay here."

"Jane, you are not going to sleep the rest of the night on this couch. It would be unbearable, and you would be in pain when you woke up. Really, I'll just go."

"Maura-"

"No Jane, I should."

Maura got up off of the couch and headed for the door.

Jane rushed to the door and grabbed Maura's hand, squeezing it firmly.

"Maura, I said stay."

The detective pulled the M.E. to the couch and they both sat down again.

"Really, you didn't make me uncomfortable. Well, maybe you did a little, but not exactly…in a bad way." Jane said quietly, her voice cracking. She internally kicked herself for sounding like such a teenager.

Maura slid closer and the detective looked up to see the M.E.'s face only a few inches from her own. She felt a lump rising in her throat and found it hard to swallow. Suddenly her mouth was dry and her hands were shaky, and she couldn't take her eyes off of Maura's lips. She felt like a bumbling kid in a first game of spin the bottle.

"Jane?" the M.E. questioned, seeing the hesitance and fear etched on the detective's features.

"Sorry Maur, I just…Well, honestly I…I'm a little…" Jane blushed and looked down awkwardly at her feet.

"Nervous?"

Jane sighed and nodded.

"No need to be nervous, Jane." Maura said, lightly lifting Jane's chin so they were facing again. "There's nothing to be afraid of. It's just me, after all."

"Just you? Maura, you have no idea what kind of effect you have, do you?"

Before either one of them could say anything else, Maura leaned in and captured the detective's lips with her own. They both exhaled into the kiss with relief, and Jane uttered a small sound of protest when Maura pulled away. Jane found herself incredibly awkward, and couldn't think of the right thing to say or do. She just continued to stare at the beautiful woman in front of her. Maura leaned in and brushed her nose lightly against Jane's. The detective could feel Maura's breath on her lips and inhaled with a tremble.

Maura pulled back and looked cautiously at Jane, cocking her head to one side.

"Oh Jane…" She said quietly, her voice full of remorse. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…That was stupid of me, wasn't it?"

Before the M.E. could question any further, Jane pressed her lips to Maura's. She ran her tongue tentatively along the M.E.'s lips and couldn't resist a smile when the other woman welcomed the deepening kiss. Jane leaned further into the kiss until she was lying on top of Maura. They continued for quite sometime until Jane finally had to stop for breath. She closed her eyes and rested her forehead against Maura's. The only sound in the room was the breathing of both women, heavy and erratic.

"Wow." Jane said quietly, swallowing hard. "That was…"

"Exquisite." Maura said, with equal amazement in her voice.

"Definitely."

Maura smiled and pressed one of Jane's hands to her lips, kissing it lightly.

"Maura…what exactly are we doing?"

The M.E. felt her heart sink a little, realizing that their friendship would never really be the same as it had been before.

"Well, I kissed you, and you kissed me back."

"I know that, Maura. I mean, uh…well, why did you kiss me?"

"You were exhibiting obvious signs of arousal and desire coupled with-" The M.E. stopped as Jane glared at her, realizing that answering with Googlespeak was probably not the best choice. "Jane, I kissed you because…it felt like what I should do. I'm not sure why. I didn't exactly think about all of the pros and cons before I did it. I rarely ever act spontaneously. I'm not sure what got into me. I probably should have thought about-"

Jane quieted Maura by pressing a finger to her lips.

"Maura."

The detective ran her fingertip lightly over the M.E.'s lip, watching the woman shiver at her touch. The two stayed in that position for quite some time until Jane finally sat back, allowing Maura to sit up as well.

"If I ask you something, you'll answer with the truth, right?" Jane asked quietly.

"Of course, Jane. I cannot lie, you know that. I immediately go-"

"Vaso-blah blah blah. Yeah I know. So um…" Jane swallowed hard and looked down at her hands. She was really getting annoyed with the fact that she felt like she was about thirteen years old. She sighed heavily and turned slightly to face Maura.

"Is that the only time you've ever dreamed about me?"

Maura shook her head.

"Jane, I dream of you often."

"Good…it isn't just me, then."

Maura looked questioningly at the detective who was chewing nervously on her thumb.

"I…I uh, dream about you too. Not necessarily always world-rocking, earth-shaking dreams like the one you were having, but still."

The M.E. blushed and laughed softly. Jane tucked a loose strand of hair behind Maura's ear and rested her fingertips lightly against the M.E.'s cheek.

"So, what exactly does all of this mean, Jane?"

"It means whatever you want it to mean. Whatever you want to do, I'll do. You're always going to be my best friend, Maur."

The M.E. smiled softly and bit her lip, running her fingertips along the detective's neck. The two women leaned in and kissed softly, feeling like an immense weight had finally been lifted from their shoulders.

That's all, folks. Please review and tell me what you thought! Constructive criticism is always welcome :)