A/N: We've already reached the 25th chapter and there are still 97974974396353121 chapters to go. Okay, maybe not that many, but you get my point. Thank you so much to all of you who've been sticking with this story and the little journey of wedded bliss that Jane and Maura are on. :)

The mirror in the bathroom was fogging up as Jane brushed her teeth and, although she had already applied mousse on her hair, the steam from the hot water in the shower had already begun to make her hair frizz. When Jane wiped the mirror with her hand, she noticed her mascara was slightly smudged under her lower eyelid, but it was all worth it because her wife was taking a shower behind a very see-through shower curtain. When she finished brushing her teeth, Jane stared in awe at the woman in the shower. Her mouth was agape and she felt almost guilty for staring although the woman she was staring at was her own wife—her wife whom she had permission to kiss and to touch whenever she so desired. The sight of Maura lathering soap all over her body was just too much for young Jane and she had to leave before her libido got the best of her.

"Babe?" Jane squeaked. The sound of her voice took her by surprise and she hoped Maura hadn't noticed. When Maura began to laugh, Jane wanted to lean against the wall and sink all the way down to the floor. So much for badass points with your wife.

"Yes?" Maura asked.

"I have to leave," Jane squeaked yet again. Jane, what's wrong with you? You're not a virgin. She's your wife. You've seen her naked before. You saw her naked last night. You had sex with her this morning. You'll probably have sex with her tonight. Jane looked down at the front of her pants. Be glad you're a girl. At least you can hide it.

"Don't leave," Maura shouted above the sound of the water. "I was hoping you could help lotion my body."

On second thought. Jane just couldn't say no to rubbing lotion on her wife's body and maybe even being thanked with a kiss, a kiss that Jane hoped would lead to so much more.

"Janie!" Angela shouted as she knocked on the door. "Rule number three was no showering together."

"Ma," Jane groaned, unsure if she was more annoyed by the fact that her mother was bringing up the rules or because she had interrupted her opportunity to rub lotion on Maura's body.

After hearing her mother-in-law, Maura quickly shut off the water and put on her bathrobe. She knew this conversation was nowhere near being over, so she motioned for Jane to open the door. "We weren't showering together," Maura pointed out. "Jane was brushing her teeth and she was fully clothed the entire time she was in here."

"I'm going to let it slide just this once," Angela informed them. "Oh, and Janie, I picked up some more of your zit cream. You told me you were out of it."

"Ma, I don't use zit cream," Jane scoffed. "Tommy does."

"Tommy uses Stridex pads," Angela pointed out. "You use the spot-treating cream that makes you look like a Dalmatian when you sleep."

"I do not look like a Dalmatian," Jane insisted. "I haven't even used that cream since high school."

"You used it the night before Maura came home," Angela reminded her. "And your pads are on your bed. I bought the heavy flow ones you asked for."

Jane's face started to redden. If she hadn't been caught between her wife and her mother, she would have ran to her room and hid underneath the covers. "Why are you saying this in front of Maura?"

"She's your wife. She's not your girlfriend or a girl you're having a fling with. Marriage isn't just about making love and sharing a bed. Maura needs to know these things about you."

"Things like zit cream and heavy flow days?" Jane asked. "Maura doesn't need to know about that."

"She uses the heavy flow pads on her second and third day. She uses the light days on her first, fourth, and fifth," Maura told Angela. "I've also noticed she becomes even more sexually aroused than usual for an entire week before she starts her period, not just when she's ovulating"

"Maura," Jane groaned.

"That I didn't need to know," Angela insisted.

"I'm her wife," Maura pointed out. "I know her very intimately."

Jane was grateful for a diversion in the form of their kitten. Chrissy had squeezed her way into the bathroom and started to rub her head against Jane's shin. "Chrissy, are you hungry?" Jane asked in a playful voice. It didn't matter to Jane if their kitten was hungry or not, she was going to fill her dish with kitten food and maybe a treat as a way of thanking her for getting her out of that awkward situation.

"Janie?"

"Yes, Ma?" Jane asked nervously.

"Do you want to explain the copy of Playboy I found when I was putting away the socks that you left in the laundry room?" Angela asked. "You know your father and I don't allow that type of filth in the house."

"Yes, Jane," Maura glared at her. "Would you like to explain why you have an issue of Playboy?"

"No," Jane shook her head. "I wouldn't like to explain."

"Can I have a moment alone with my wife?" Maura asked.

Jane watched her mother grab Chrissy and leave the bathroom. Jane had hoped to feed their kitten, but now there was no using her as an excuse. She was left alone with a very irritated wife and Jane was dreading the conversation that was about to take place. She expected Maura to yell at her or at the very least give her a lecture, but Jane was taken by surprise when Maura looked hurt.

"Am I not good enough for you?" she finally managed to ask after nearly a minute of uncomfortable silence. "Do you want me to look like the women in your magazine?"

"Maura—"

"I'm only eighteen, Jane," Maura interrupted. "My body is still developing. My hips are still taking shape and my breasts will most likely grow another cup size by the time I'm twenty."

Jane wanted to comfort her wife, but she wasn't quite sure what to say. In her eyes, Maura was perfect and it pained her to know that Maura would compare herself to any other woman. Jane noticed the tears start to flow from Maura's eyes. She looked at Jane and waited for her to do something or at the very least say something, but Jane stood there staring at Maura. When Maura's sobbing began, Jane felt as if her heart had just been shattered.

"Maur," she said as she rushed to her side. Jane tried to put her arms around her wife, but Maura scooted back the moment Jane reached for her.

"Jane, please don't."

"Can I explain?" Jane asked. "You told me I could explain earlier."

Maura cleared her throat. "Explain."

"I love you," Jane began. "I bought that magazine when I was with Mark on my eighteenth birthday. I didn't buy it because I wanted it; I bought it because I was eighteen and I was finally of age to buy it. We also bought a pack of cigarettes. I didn't smoke any, but Mark smoked the entire pack over the course of a week. We also went to Stuevie's for the first time."

Maura looked her square in the eyes. "Do you look at those women, Jane?"

"I did," Jane admitted. "But that was before I met you. You're the first woman I've ever been with—the first and the last. I was a virgin, Maur. So were you. I was curious about sex and all I had were fantasies of women and I had these urges that—"

"You masturbated while looking at that magazine," Maura said matter-of-factly.

"Maura," Jane groaned. "Yes, I did, but that was only before I met you. From the night I met you, you've been the only woman I've fantasized about. You're beautiful, Maura, and I don't want you comparing yourself to any other woman. While you were in the shower, I couldn't take my eyes off of you. Even when we're in a crowded place like Stuevie's with dozens of other women, I can't take my eyes off of you and it has been that way since the night I met you and that's how it's going to be for the rest of our lives."

Maura could no longer keep even the smallest distance from her wife. She moved in for a hug and, although she had expected Jane to be playful and lift her up or at the very least try to untie her robe, Jane just held her close and let Maura nuzzle her head onto her shoulder. "Marriage isn't as easy as I thought," Maura admitted. "I wouldn't call this a fight, but it was a disagreement and it escalated because I didn't allow you to communicate with me."

"We're not perfect," Jane pointed out. "What matters is that we talked our way through it. That's what we need to do, Maur. We need to talk to each other. There's always going to be disagreements, but we can't let them get the best of us. I think we did okay for our first argument. We didn't resort to childish name-calling like some couples do."

"We argued for the first time and tonight we can make up for the first time," Maura hinted.

"Or now," Jane suggested.

"Rule number one: no sex outside of our bedroom," Maura recited.

"Rule number five: Jane and Maura no longer care about the rules," Jane teased, although she was actually afraid of what the consequences would be if she didn't abide by the rules.

"Janie!" Angela called out.

"Janie is about to have sex," Maura said just barely above a whisper.

"You're just as afraid as I am," Jane pointed out. "You whispered."

"Janie!" Angela repeated.

Jane gave Maura a quick peck on her lips. "I love you. We'll make up later, okay? Get dressed so we could pick out our Christmas tree." When Maura untied her bathrobe, Jane became hesitant to leave. This better be important, Ma.

"Sit down," Angela instructed the moment Jane had set foot in her parents' room. Her mother had a calm tone of voice, which only added to Jane's uneasiness.

Jane plopped down on her parents' bed and laid on her back with her arms stretched out. "What's up?"

"Is everything okay with you and Maura?"

"Yeah," Jane shrugged. "I guess."

"You passed your first marriage test," Angela smirked.

"This was a test?" Jane asked in disbelief. "You set this up to test Maura and me?"

"And you passed," her mom informed her. "I wanted you kids to realize that conflict is normal in a marriage. What matters is how you handle these conflicts. I've said this before but I'm going to repeat myself, marriage isn't just about making love and sharing a bed."

"Glad we could have this talk," Jane stated as she hurriedly got up from the bed. "Thanks, Ma." She had wanted to leave as quickly as possible, so she could return to her now very amorous wife who was wearing nothing but a bathrobe, but when her mom grabbed her wrist, she was prevented from going any further.

"Janie?"

"Yes?" Jane asked nervously.

"I didn't know you had an issue of Playboy in your room," Angela began. "But I know now."

"You got me to incriminate myself?" Jane scoffed. "And you managed to get Maura on your side."

"I like Maura. She and I could join forces," Angela smirked. "Oh, and, Janie? Hand over the magazine. I don't care how old you are; that filth is not allowed in this house."