Oh my! The response to the last chapter was AMAZING! Thank you all! I've read through every single review. Most of you wanted a rating change with a chapter dedicated to their first time. Some of you wanted it skipped while others didn't care. I tried my very best to make it fitting for everyone. I took some of your ideas and decided to mention it without going into much detail, but enough so that you could get an idea of the intimacy shared. I didn't want to be too graphic, that's not what this story is about. With the amount of reviews I feel like I had a lot to live up to and I hope that you all like the effort I've made. If not, sorry!:(

Jane's eyes opened to find the room enveloped in darkness. It was not yet morning. She turned her head slightly and saw nothing but honey blonde hair. Her eyes gazed downward little by little. She took in Maura's face, mostly covered by her hair and out of sight. Her back was bare, slightly moving up and down with each breath she took. A small hand had found its way around Jane's midsection and rose with her own breathing. Jane closed her eyes, flashes of the night before speeding before her eyes.

Maura's hand in hers as the smaller woman lead the way upstairs. The agonizingly slow removal of her clothing, with Maura kissing her bare skin as she made her way across Jane's body. The way Maura's body trembled under Jane's touch as she in turned removed Maura's clothing. It had been slow and gentle, yet filled with passion and need. Months of waiting had been worth it; that much had been clearly evident with the way the two explored the other's body.

Maura had taken Jane's hands to her lips and had kissed them both before slowly running her skilled fingers across the scarred skin. She'd grazed her thumb across Jane's long fingers and palms, massaging away the pain as she went, massaging away the insecurity she could still see in Jane's eyes. "They're beautiful," she had said. "You are beautiful and they are an extension of the person you are, they show the lengths you are willing to take to keep those around you safe. I feel safe. You make me feel safe, Jane. You chase my monsters away; now let me take care of you."

Jane had been intrigued at Maura's words the moment she said them. Maura had told her of her past before; of when she was a child and then a teenager. She had told her how she'd been neglected by an absent family, ridiculed for her intelligence at school and had basically grown up alone. She'd talked of her college years, and how it was then when she had finally found a sense of belonging. She'd talked of exes before, just as Jane had, but Jane had never seen any red flags raised.

They had spent the better part of the night enveloped in each other's arms, with Maura worshipping Jane's body until the brunette had become unraveled beneath her, completely out of breath. It had only taken a minute for Jane to regain full use of her senses before she was flipping them over and taking control, this time Maura on the receiving end. Their connected bodies had danced together in perfect harmony; it brought pleasure to both women and made them moan the other's name again and again. Jane had climaxed hard and the sensation of being complete and fully satisfied had nearly brought tears to her eyes; she'd thought she would never be close to anyone like that again. There was something about Maura, something about the way she put Jane's needs before hers, how she made sure Jane was alright. They'd communicated throughout the night, verbally and not, making sure that no boundaries were crossed. Though Maura had a possessive streak to her while in bed, she made sure to not hold down the detective in any forceful way. She didn't want to bring back any unpleasant memories, not now, not ever.

Jane opened her eyes the moment she felt Maura beside her. The blonde shifted and moved closer to Jane before hugging Jane to her own body.

"You're up early," Maura spoke sleepily.

"I woke up a few minutes ago; I guess I just couldn't go back to sleep."

Maura opened her eyes wider. "Is everything alright?"

Jane smiled at her girlfriend before reaching down and kissing her forehead. "Everything is perfect," she said. She felt Maura relax next to her once more.

"Jane, last night was…"

"Amazing. It was truly amazing Maura."

Maura's smile illuminated her face. "I'm glad we're on the same page. I never thought being intimate with someone could bring me such happiness."

"I didn't think it was in the cards for me either," Jane replied. "Maur…"

"Hmm?"

"There's something that I want to ask you about. It's about something you said last night."

"You can ask me anything," Maura replied.

"It's just, I don't want to make you uncomfortable, but I wish I could understand better… last night you mentioned how I chase your monsters away…" She felt Maura stiffen a bit. "We've never talked about it before and I just wanted to tell you that if it was something you ever wanted to talk about, I'd be here for you."

Maura said nothing for a couple of minutes, seemingly lost in her own world. Jane was beginning to get worried that she'd overstepped when she felt Maura exhale.

"It's not monsters per say, it's just monster, singular. His name was Garrett."

"Your ex Garrett?" Jane asked.

"Yes, the one and only. We were together for a little over one year. It was while I was still in college, beginning college actually. I thought he was so charming and sweet, intelligent and chivalrous."

Jane didn't speak, but waited for Maura to continue with her story.

"When we were in public, he was the perfect, loving gentleman. When we were alone, he turned into a vile human being. He would insult me and degrade me, tell me there was no one else out there that would love me. The worst part was, I believed him. He beat me when I didn't do things to his liking or when he would just pick a fight for no reason."

"Why did you stay with him Maur?" Jane felt her insides on fire, anger coursing through her veins. She wished she could make this bastard pay for what he'd done to Maura.

"I believed him Jane. I didn't value myself enough to do anything to get out of the situation I was in. Now that I look back, I see that I was wrong. I know that no one deserves to be treated like that."

"You're right Maur, no one does." Jane put her hand to Maura's chin and raised it so they were eye level. "If it's the last thing I do, I will always keep you safe. No one will ever lay a hand on you again, not while I still have a breath in my body. I will always be here for you Maura. Always."

Unshed tears gathered in Maura's eyes. "I know," she replied, before letting herself go and resting within the safety of Jane's embrace.

I hope I have managed to convey the different type of intimacy they share. I'll take the criticism, positive and negative. Let me know how I did and what you think I can improve on! Thank you once again!=)