A/N: After such a long wait (grr to parents and their separation! Playing mediator is not fun!) I'm happy to give you the final chapter of this story. Thank you for your patience. For those following my other story, I will endeavour to update that one ASAP also.

"Maura, stop," Jane called out as she launched herself from the top of the stairs to land in front of Maura at the bottom. Albeit, not as gracefully as they do in the movies, as her leg gave way and she ended up in a heap at the doctor's feet.

"Oh my goodness! Jane are you okay?" Maura asked as she quickly knelt down to make sure Jane wasn't injured.

"I'm fine," Jane replied with a wince as she grasped at her knee in pain. "Or, maybe not."

"Come on, superman," Maura replied as she helped Jane up. "Let's get you inside so I can check you out."

Jane placed her arm around Maura's shoulders as Maura slipped her arm around Jane's waist. They made their way to the top of the stairs.

"Like you haven't been checkin' me out all night," Jane whispered, winking at Maura when she turned to admonish her.

"Now is not the time to joke, Jane. You could have seriously injured yourself," Maura said as she guided Jane into the building and up the internal stairs.

"You started it, with your 'superman' comment," Jane eventually retorted, as they reached the door to her apartment. "I ain't no superman. I'm a super woman." She finished with a wide grin.

Maura helped her to the couch trying to hide a grin of her own, unwilling to let Jane see just how much she adored Jane's childish behaviour. She left her sitting on the couch as she went to the kitchen to grab an icepack for Jane's knee. She turned from closing the freezer to find Jane standing in the entrance way to the kitchen.

"Jane! Your knee!"

"It's fine," Jane replied, waving it off. "It doesn't hurt, see?" She hoped around on both legs freely with no apparent injury.

"You made me practically carry you all the way up the stairs for nothing?"

Jane shrugged as she began to take slow, deliberate steps towards her.

"I wasn't about to say no to having your arms around me."

Maura's eyes softened as Jane approached her. Jane's eyes reflected cautiousness as she approached, but also the love and hope that Maura had wanted to see earlier. When Jane's hand reached out to take the icepack from her, her eyes followed the hand as it placed the pack on the bench beside her. She looked up only when she felt slender fingers under her chin, coaxing her to lock eyes with the detective.

"You, Maura Isles, are not, and will never be, anyone's consolation prize," Jane whispered as she wrapped an arm around Maura's waist. "Especially not mine."

Jane leaned in to place a soft kiss on Maura's right cheek, lingering to take in the scent and softness of her skin. "And I would love nothing more," Jane started as she moved to place her lips on Maura's other cheek, watching Maura's eyes close at the intimate contact, "than to kiss you," she continued as she placed a kiss on Maura's forehead, "and hold your hand," she added as she interlaced her free hand with Maura's, "and make love to you," she finished as her lips brushed the tip of her nose.

Maura gasped at the intimacy of the moment; Jane's words and the way she was showering her with kisses. "Jane," Maura sighed as she opened her eyes to find Jane inches from her face, watching her, waiting…

Jane watched as Maura fought the urge to lean forward and kiss her. She watched as Maura's bottom lip was captured between her teeth and her eyes darted towards the laptop sitting on the kitchen bench.

"What about…" Maura started hesitantly and with annoyance as she silently berated herself for not being able to just ignore her brain and its incessant need to get to the bottom of things.

Jane wrapped her arms around Maura's waist and leaned back slightly to look into Maura's eyes properly.

"Maura, I can honestly say, there is," she glanced at the laptop, before looking back at Maura, "no one that I would rather spend my time with. There's no one I would rather have by my side. And it may have taken me years to realise it, but there truly is no one else I want to be with; intimately, spiritually and emotionally."

Maura looked up at Jane in awe, unable to believe the words that Jane had just spoken.

"Jane, that's…. that's the most romantic thing anyone has ever said to me," Maura gushed as she ran a hand up Janes arm to rest in the crook of her neck.

"Yea, well," Jane said with a shrug, "tell anyone about it and I'll deny, deny, deny."

"And… then you had to ruin it with that big mouth of yours," Maura retorted with a smile and the shake of her head.

They continued to stand, wrapped together, smiling like teenagers at each other. While they had been quick to move in for a kiss several times throughout the night, deep down they were both wondering what the next interruption will be.

"So," Maura sighed with a smile.

"So," Jane replied with an equally giddy grin.

"This is… unknown territory for me, Jane," Maura admitted.

"Then we are heading into the unknown together," Jane replied confidently, receiving an ear to ear smile in response.

"The world be damned?" Maura replied with a wink.

"I don't care what the world is trying to tell us," Jane replied pulling Maura closer. "I want you."

"I want you too," Maura whispered as she leaned up to capture Jane's lips.

Just as they thought they had solved the problem of interruptions, Jane's phone began to ring causing Maura to turn and gaze at it angrily.

"Seriously?" Maura grunted, throwing her arms up in annoyance.

"Fuck it," Jane said, ignoring her phone. She gathered Maura back into her arms and pressed her lips firmly upon Maura's.

With an encouraging moan from Maura, she pushed her against the fridge, running her hands down the length of her designer outfit, memorising every curve of her body. Their body's melded together as Maura's arms wrapped tightly around Jane's neck and one of her legs, with a mind of its own, wrapped itself around Jane's legs.

They eventually pulled their lips apart, frazzled and gasping for breath, but not willing to let go of each other just yet.

"Wow," they both said simultaneously, before grinning at each other once again.

"Wanna take this someplace more…" Jane looked around the kitchen briefly, "comfortable?"

With an encouraging smile, Maura pulled away from Jane and grabbed her hand, heading off in the direction of Jane's bedroom. "I thought you'd never ask."

With a glance back at the couch, just replied, "I was talking about the couch, but I'm happy to skip that step if you are."

The door closed behind them as they ventured into the unknown together.