A/N: Alright everyone. I thought this would be the last chapter...it's not going to be. I had originally planned to make this a fourteen or fifteen chapter fic. However, I went to a nature park for a run yesterday (it was absolutely beautiful outside) and started contemplating this story as my feet pounded along the trail. The sun was bright, the air was crisp, the deer were out and grazing, and I had Brahms' fourth symphony playing through my headphones. I came to a definitive realization...I am not done with Jane and Maura yet...I'm just not. Thank you so much for all of your support! I will never be able to convey how important your feedback is to me! I hope you continue to enjoy the work as I add another leg onto our ladies' journey! Just a warning; this chapter starts a little spicy. ;)

I am disoriented.

Where am I? How did I get here? What's happening?

I'm on the verge of panicking when I register a pair of hands slide up and down my bare sides before coming to rest on my hips. Strong fingers begin to kneed and massage the flesh there. The touch is comforting...it centers me.

My current position starts to come into focus.

I lock gazes with the beautiful woman below me...her irises are as dark as her raven hair. She has a grin on her face that exudes a mixture of playfulness, eagerness, and love.

Where am I?

I am in a hotel room in London, England. I am also in bed with a naked Jane Rizzoli and I'm straddling her waist.

How did I get here?

Well...how I got to London and the hotel room is clear...however, I'm still not sure how I came to be mounted atop my lover.

What's happening?

Judging by the excited hum of my body and the lustful gaze of my partner, which travels down my exposed torso and back up to my eyes, something quite wonderful is happening.

I feel a little like I'm possessed. I'm not consciously making decisions...my body is simply acting of its own accord.

No words pass between us as I begin to slowly and methodically grind my pelvis into her body. My breathing becomes almost unbearably labored in a matter of seconds and I increase the speed of my movement. I let my head fall back and my eyes slam shut as I groan at the incredible sensations coursing through me.

I feel something pressing against my back and I open my eyes in confusion.

I am disoriented.

How did this happen? I didn't even feel us move...

Jane is on top of me, smiling widely. She peppers every inch of my face with cherishing kisses before claiming my lips with her own.

Tricky.

Tricky, tricky, tricky...

I want to break our kiss and ask her how she changed positions so drastically without me noticing...but I don't...I actually find that I can't.

I blink my eyes. Just one blink...they're closed for literally a fraction of a second.

...I am disoriented...

How...in...the...world?

Jane's face is no longer above mine, but settled between my thighs. She's fixing me with a voracious expression as she gazes up at me.

My heart rate sky rockets and my blood boils. I am a live wire at the edge of a pool of water...an open wound surrounded by salt...a delicate structure in the path of a mighty hurricane; it's not going to take much to induce a dramatic response from me.

Jane maintains eye contact as she reaches up, laces our fingers together, and presses our palms flush against one another.

She winks, then lowers her head.

I am falling.

Wait...I'm falling...?

Have I mentioned lately that I'm disoriented?

The first thing I notice is a dull pain on my backside. I let out a surprised yelp and look around, frantically trying to evaluate just what the heck is going on.

I am on our hotel room floor, half tangled in a bed sheet. I can see the dim light of morning shining through the drawn window curtain. I turn my head and look at the mattress that is now slightly above me.

Jane is not there...I am alone in the room.

It would appear that I fell off the bed in the midst of an erotic dream.

I feel a blush warm my cheeks. I'm not embarrassed about having such a dream...I'm not embarrassed at all. I just really, really, really need Jane right now.

My ears pick up the faint sound of water running and I notice a light coming from under the bathroom door.

She's taking a shower.

I don't bother with finding something to put over my nude form...I won't be needing it. I spring from the floor, glide into the bathroom, and step into a warm shower with my surprised but happy lover.

After all...I need a shower this morning as well.

Maybe she'll help me wash up...

Hours later, we are on the top deck of a tourist boat that is cruising along the Thames River.

We are standing at the bow of the vessel. I have my hands resting on the railing in front of me and so does Jane. She's standing behind me with her arms on either side of my body. Every so often she'll drop a kiss to the top of my head and whisper sweet nothings into my ear.

This is such a simple but incredibly tender example of our new relationship. If someone asked me a few weeks ago whether or not Jane was capable of doting over anyone like this, I would have giggled and offered a definite 'no'.

I suppose the joke would have been on me.

Our morning shower session got a little out of hand and we nearly missed the cruise's departure from port. I'm happy we made it...it's very enjoyable to see the sights of the city like this.

There she goes again.

A gentle kiss is placed on the crown of my head and her lips come to my ear.

"I love you."

The warmth of her breath and words causes me to shiver.

She presses a little closer to me, wraps her arms around my waist, and rests her chin on my shoulder.

It's still hard for me to believe that Jane and I have actually embarked on an intimate relationship. I thought she was like my proverbial unicorn. Something that I could look at and admire from a distance, but never really be able to have as my own.

Yet, here she is. My mystical being, wrapped around my body like a blanket.

The process that led us here was not easy to go through. It involved years of sustaining a great deal of physical and emotional damage.

You see...Jane and I each have jobs to do. Our jobs are critical to the safety and well being of others. Fortunately, we are both highly skilled in our professions. Unfortunately, our skill does little to dampen our personal pain and torment.

We witness and must investigate an obscene amount of heinous actions which are committed by fellow human beings. Some of these cases are so brutal...so sick and twisted...its only natural to feel a complete and total aversion to them.

However...there is a job to be done. Innocent people depend on our ability to handle such situations.

So, we suppress the part of us that is sickened and saddened and angered by what we come across. As time has gone by, we have become skilled in the process.

The real problem occurs if, in an effort to contain all of the negativity, you bottle your emotions and never deal with the effects they cause on your spirit.

Like Jane does.

Pain and sadness and anger are the emotional manifestations of your humanity. Emotions, both good and bad, make people human. If you ignore them long enough...you eventually lose a part of yourself.

I have learned how to compartmentalize my feelings during a case; it's what makes me seem somewhat cold and indifferent at times. I secure my humanity and keep it safe from the horrors that I have to closely analyze and examine. However, I always go through a thorough 'decompression process' where I take careful note of my state of mind. It is a process that revitalizes me and gets me ready for the cases to come.

Jane, on the other hand, takes her human aspects by the scruff of the neck and holds them under water. She doesn't just suppress them, she smothers them. When her emotions get in the way of her work, she nearly kills them...thus, nearly killing the nature of her very being. When the case is closed, she drags the remnants of her humanity back home and does just enough to resuscitate it...but over time it became weak.

After the case with Lacy...she nearly let it die completely.

She's much stronger now, it's apparent in her every mannerism. But sadly, her struggle is not over. So long as there is evil among men, we will both continue to be subjected to events that force us into agonizing situations.

However, I will remain by her side. When she loses herself...I will remind her of the fighter that she is.

As we have come together on this journey, she has gifted a part of herself to me. This part of her, I will cherish, and nurture, and keep safe and alive within myself. At any point in the future, when her spirit is weak and her heart is broken, I will simply lend this essence back to her until she remembers who she is. When she regains her strength, I will retrieve what I gave and continue to keep it safe.

I will do everything in my power to keep her from suffering. I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that she will do the same for me.

She places a kiss on my temple and her voice startles me out of my thoughts.

"What's going on in that beautiful mind of yours?"

I smile.

"Just thinking. You know, we fly out tomorrow."

She places a kiss on my neck and inhales deeply.

"Is that right? Mmm...you smell amazing."

I giggle as she trails her nose from my ear to my shoulder and back up, taking in a slow breath.

"Aren't you going to ask me where we're going?"

She pulls away just an inch and returns her hands to their previous position in front of me. I turn around and wrap my arms around her lower back.

She gives me a doubtful look.

"Would you actually tell me if I asked?

"No. But if you ask very nicely...maybe I'll give you a hint?"

The smirk she gives me clearly says, 'challenge accepted'.

She presses me back against the railing and leans her body into mine.

Oh my. What have I gotten myself into?

The intensity in her eyes leaves me breathless...and thoughtless...and speechless...

"Maura Isles..."

She kisses my cheek.

"...I love you so, so much..."

She kisses the other.

"...will you please tell me where we are going next?"

She leans impossibly closer and we share the same breath as her lips come within a few millimeters of my own.

I am disoriented.

In my 'Jane induced stupor', I almost completely give away our next destination. But, I catch sight of something that reminds me that this is only supposed to be a hint.

The bruising over her eye from her Muay Thai fight is completely gone...but a tiny scare is still visible.

I blink several times and shake my head while regaining my powers of speech. I clear my throat but my voice is still a little weak.

"Did you enjoy your Muay Thai training?"

She pulls back a little and furrows her brow in confusion.

"What?"

A little louder this time.

"Muay Thai. Did you enjoy the training camp?"

Her brows stay pulled together but she smiles.

"Yeah...I loved it."

I tilt my head slightly as I ask...

"Would you like to do something like that again? Without challenging a stranger to a match and nearly causing me a coronary infarction?"

She gives a full bodied laugh.

"Yes...I think I'd like that. No infarction either. What did you have in mind?"

I smile at her before reaching up and giving her a promising kiss. After a moment, I pull back and whisper against her lips.

"That's all you get, detective."

A/N: Any ideas? Where do you think they're heading next? Anyway...I want to mention that updates may not be as frequent. I've started training for an upcoming career change (hence the running) and will be very busy trying to get ready for the next six months of my life. I'm actually very excited. I have been accepted into my city's police academy. Starting in June, I will begin training to be a police officer! If you're wondering how or why a professionally trained musician with a BA in music performance and a job in a professional symphony wanted a to be a cop...you're not alone...everyone does! Long story short...law enforcement runs in my family. As always, thank you for your comments and support! I received notification that this story was nominated for a...Rizzles Award...? I didn't even know there was such a thing! I am absolutely honored. All of you...every single one of you...are completely amazing and I'm honored to have you as readers! Your support is more of an award than I could ever hope for! Take care! -SJR