Author's note: Thank you very much for all the reviews.

Chapter Eleven

There was an apple tree in the backyard, lost to the rain and the wind. Jane had spent the first ten minutes observing it before finally focusing back on Maura who was still sleeping by her side. The sun would probably not show today but she couldn't care less. The object of her affection – the only one – was lying down a few inches away from her eyes.

The curve of a shoulder – of a breast – delicately played a game of transparency with the bedsheet. The detail was hypnotizing. It didn't look prohibited anymore. Jane had caressed and kissed this skin, the night before. She had felt it under her lips, under the palm of her hands. Maura's body was alive and warm; inviting. Soft.

The house was quiet. Around 6.30am Jane had heard some noise that had seemed to come from the kitchen. Probably an early riser who had gone for a morning run as the quietness had resumed its reign very quickly.

Too comfortable in bed, she had preferred to remain next to Maura and let the hours pass by. She wasn't in a hurry anymore. She – who had run most of her life after a whole series of abstract notions – had decided to enjoy whatever existence had to offer, its sweetest details; furtive moments.

"I hadn't imagined that you were the type of person who enjoyed watching the others sleep."

Maura's remark surprised her. At no moment had Jane assumed that her partner could be awake. Maura hadn't moved, her breathing was still just as regular. Peaceful. She rolled on her side and finally opened her eyes. A smile played on her lips, a genuine one.

"Good morning."

The wrought iron bed grated as Jane tried to close the distance with Maura to plant a kiss on her lips. The noise made her blush. It had resounded loudly in the quiet house, way too loudly for the move to pass unnoticed.

"I'm gonna die of shame the moment I come across one of your roommates if the bed's so noisy." Jane bit her lower lip. She was honestly embarrassed, if only because they had done a lot more than just capturing each other's lips for a tender kiss the night before. "Is it okay with you if we never leave this bedroom ever again?"

The laugh that passed Maura's lips went straight to Jane's heart. Its warmth was comforting, and graceful.

"I am pretty sure they assumed we weren't about to play Scrabble when we went to bed last night." A mischievous light embraced her gaze. She bent over and kissed Jane. "They don't care, neither should you... Yet your suggestion is rather tempting."

Jane didn't say anything. She abandoned herself to the kiss instead with a barely contained happiness.

She had had a lot of time to think about everything, to let the events of the past few hours play again in her head as Maura had been sleeping. She hadn't come to any specific conclusion, convinced that there wasn't any to draw.

Everything looked oddly natural, logical.

Maura was her friend but something else – a very significant detail – had just decided to bring an extra element to their relationship. Perhaps she had been scared at first but the truth was that now Jane was fully enjoying it, fully embracing it. And it seemed to be the best decision she had ever taken in her existence; something that she would never be able to regret, no matter what.

...

Shovel and bucket in hand, Jane lifted her chin up in defiance to the wind then crossed the road ready to walk down the wooden stairs that led to the beach.

She and Maura had stayed in bed for a large part of the morning – catching back on a time deprived of caresses – before finding the motivation to get up. They had made love again, with the same sweetness as the day before. The rough – bare – emotions were still as powerful as the ones that had invaded them in the bathroom; their heartbeats resounding loudly against their chest and discarding thus the ridiculous idea that whatever they were now living was just a fling.

Nobody had interrupted them. The house had remained quiet and even when they had gone for breakfast they hadn't come across anyone. Maura's roommates respected their moment, the implicit boundaries that the current situation required. It was sweet.

"You remind me of Paddington with your yellow raincoat." Maura looked at Jane from head to toe then held back a chuckle. "It's... Unexpected." Although comparing Jane to a bear wasn't too far from the truth.

Jane pursed her lips. Due to the bad weather conditions, they had had to stop at the only small store of Depoe Bay to buy a raincoat and rain boots. Eugene – the owner of the shop – had gladly helped Jane to choose the proper attire to face the Oregon weather and she had purchased a kids' beach set – a shovel, a bucket, a rake, a sieve and a watering can – on her way out as well.

Who cared if it was raining? They were going to enjoy a day at the beach all the same.

"I thought you were exaggerating about the weather. I'd have taken my own raincoat with me." Jane adjusted the yellow coat and resumed her walking towards the stairs. "Just make sure to not take pictures."

"Not even of the sand castle you're going to build?" Maura winked.

The beach was empty. As a matter of fact, the wind was even stronger there than on the road above by the edge of the cliffs. The waves of the Pacific kept on crashing with an impressive regularity while the rain hit their faces icily. Yet they couldn't care less. They were happy.

They walked by the shore to pick up seashells – built a sand castle that the ocean swept away immediately – and laughed more than they had ever laughed. Life had turned easy, all of a sudden. Enjoyable. Serene. The sky was gray and seemed to cry a silent sorrow but the sun kept on shining in their hearts, higher and higher. The balance was a perfect one.

"I like it here."

Breathless after chasing Maura who had stolen the shovel she had sworn that she wouldn't even touch when Jane had bought it, Jane sat down on the wet sand and took a deep breath. The sea breeze went to her head bewitchingly. She had always loved the smell of the ocean, even as a kid.

"I miss the Bostonian life though."

Maura frowned at her own confession. It wasn't entirely true. She had simply missed Jane. There was something restful about Depoe Bay that she actually liked a lot. Of course she didn't see herself spend the rest of her life in the small town but the seaside spot nonetheless offered a nice break from the frenzy of Massachusetts.

Besides she didn't have any responsibility here. She wasn't the chief medical examiner. The daily dose of stress that her job could bring didn't find any echo in Depoe Bay. It was a nice, temporary change.

She sat down next to Jane and focused on the raging gray ribbon that spread a few feet away from them. The icy wind had reddened her cheeks and messed with her hair. Rebel locks were now floating all around her face.

"Had you ever... Had you ever slept with a woman before?"

The question probably sounded intrusive but Maura's curiosity had been stronger than what manners should have pushed her to ask, or better said not ask. She hadn't even dared to look at Jane, too afraid to embarrass her even more.

It was none of her business but she couldn't help wondering. The timidity of their first time in the bathroom hadn't been caused by a lack of experience but by the importance of the moment and if Maura wanted to be sincere then she would have said that Jane hadn't seemed to be a novice.

"No..." Jane's voice died in a whisper that got swept away by the wind. She cast a furtive glance at Maura before running her tongue over her lips. "It happened once before... At the academy. What about you?"

It was a strange conversation – certainly not the kind of topics that new lovers usually shared on their first day together – but instead of feeling embarrassed, Maura actually seemed amused. She was relieved to see that Jane hadn't taken it badly.

"No."

They didn't need any more detail, they didn't need any name; any background story. Their respective curiosity had been satisfied and they felt fine now.

"How long are you going to stay here?"

Maura didn't want to think about it but she perfectly knew that Jane wouldn't remain in Depoe Bay until the end of her internship. This wasn't realistic and she wanted to keep it in mind even if she didn't like it. Sticking to reality was a vital need. September wasn't far away anyway.

"Monday...? I didn't call Cavanaugh. Ma' did it for me, actually. I can't take more days off like that... I mean I left without any warning."

As a matter of fact, she could be glad to have a nice boss who wouldn't ask too many questions when she came back. Besides, it was the first time that she flew out of Boston so spontaneously. Yet she knew that this wasn't something she would be able to do twice in a row.

"Okay... I'm glad you're here – I'm glad you've come – even if you didn't bring me any present for my birthday."

The smirk that played on Maura's lips let Jane immediately understand that she was kidding. The only thing Jane had bought during her long journey to Oregon had been Toblerone at Chicago O'Hare which was something Maura wouldn't ever want to taste. She didn't even consider it as chocolate.

Jane rummaged around in the bucket where she had put back every single item of the beach set and dug in the sand.

"Look. Bass is here to celebrate your birthday too. Take it as your present from me. I brought him with me. All the way from Boston."

Maura laughed at the mud pie Jane had just made. She then grabbed the plastic item and shook her head apologetically.

"This isn't an African spurred tortoise mold, Jane. As a matter of fact, it doesn't really represent any specific specie. The shape is extremely bad, unrealistic at its best."

Jane rolled her eyes. They would need to work on Maura's ability to get detached from scientific stated facts at some point. She paused. No, they wouldn't have to work on anything because it was how it was supposed to be.