Author's Note: Thank you very much for all the reviews and messages / merci beaucoup !

Chapter Twenty-One

Jane looked at her plate and barely held back a sigh. She wasn't hungry. The food looked good but the lump that had formed in her throat made it hard for her to swallow the slightest thing. Besides, she felt nauseous and anxious. They were leaving. Their vacations in Maine were already coming to an end yet neither of them wanted to go back to Boston.

Perhaps they were simply trying to run away from their responsibilities – to run away from their life – but it surely weighed a lot on their respective hearts.

They had barely talked in the morning. They had packed in silence before going for a last stroll in town. Then they had left, way too easily. Way too quickly.

Jane had come to this place in order to find quietness, a serenity that she desperately needed. Now she could say that she had found a lot more than just this. She could even put words on it. She didn't dare to because she didn't know whether it was something that Maura wanted to hear. Not just yet. Jane saw that Maura was on the same page but perhaps it was a bit too early.

"We'll come back. I could even buy a house in the area... A small one, by the ocean."

Maura's fragile voice barely hit the air. Jane heard what her friend said just because she was focused on her. Or else the music that was playing the background would have swallowed Maura's whisper.

Jane gave Maura a nod. The truth was that she didn't know whether she was sad because they were leaving a charming seaside town or because what going back to Boston implied. She liked her job at the BPD, she was even very proud of having joined the homicide unit. Besides, everyone was there: her relatives, her friends. Her colleagues. Her whole life. It wasn't something Jane wanted to leave behind. Yet today all of this sounded a lot less appealing.

Good things must come to an end. She tried to repeat it to herself over and over but it didn't work much. She didn't want their vacations to come to an end. She didn't want to go back to her Back Bay apartment. She didn't want to fool everyone again.

"I don't want you to see anyone else."

Maura stopped eating. Jane's comment had completely taken her aback. She was just as sad as her friend was to leave Maine but she desperately tried to sound cheerful and hopeful because she didn't want the bitterness of the day to drag them down. Thus she made an effort. Desperately.

Jane's remark stopped her in her tracks though.

"What do you mean?"

Jane shrugged. She avoided Maura's eyes at all cost. A bit cowardly, she began to observe the coming and going outside, by the window. Sadly nothing relevant was happening and she lost interest in it rather quickly.

She didn't know why she had dared to let her heart speak for her. She hadn't even seen it come. The words had passed her lips with a complete freedom. She frowned as confusion passed underneath her skin. She had to assume what she had just said, not only because it was true but because she had to face her responsibilities. And her needs.

"I don't want you to see anyone else. I don't like it. I want us to be exclusive."

It wasn't the right time to talk about it. They were sitting in a restaurant and even if the room wasn't full, they weren't alone nonetheless. They didn't have the intimacy such conversation required in the first place.

"Oh."

Oh? Jane finally ignored the fast beats of her heart to look Maura straight in the eyes. She meant what she had just said. As a matter of fact, it was the biggest commitment she had ever made in here entire life. She would fight for it if she had to. Because it was Maura.

And she would do anything for Maura.

"It hurts when you're on a date with someone else. I know it's not what we had wanted in the first place but... But things have changed. I can't control them. It just happened... It's just happening. Do you want it too?"

Of course, Jane would not force Maura into anything. However, she knew that the answer her friend would give her would probably determine the rest of her life. How strange that it had to happen in the most impersonal place in the world. A random cafe in a town which name she ignored. They were still in Maine. It was the only thing Jane knew for sure.

The waitress offered them a coffee refill but Jane was too focused on the conversation to even bother a nod. She didn't want to drink. She wanted Maura to give her her opinion on the most important decision Jane was eager to take.

Jane had been impulsive but in the sweetest way ever. She hadn't yelled, she hadn't had any outburst. She had been direct instead. Direct but shy.

"Are you asking me..." Maura ran her tongue over her lips. Her mouth was dry and her hands were shaking. "Are you asking me to be in a relationship with you?"

The phrasing was unusual but Jane simply assumed that it was exactly how things had to go. As a matter of fact, it sounded like Maura. Her Maura. Thus she gave her a nod. A quiet one.

"Would you like it as much as I would?"

...

Jane stopped the car right in front of the door of Maura's house. They had made it to Boston on time though the blue sky of Maine had melted into shades of gray as they had reached Massachusetts.

"There you go."

Maura looked at her house. She then gave Jane a nod before grabbing her bag. The moment was strange and somehow delicate. They had barely talked during their journey back to Massachusetts. Words hadn't been needed at all.

"Yes... There I go."

Will I see you tomorrow? The question was too ridiculous for Maura to ask it out loud. Jane still had a few days off because of her suspension but it had never been an issue for them to see each other.

Maura turned around to look at Jane. Almost timidly. She knew what was coming because she wanted it. It was clear in her head, just as clear as the answer she had given Jane at the cafe. She hadn't even needed to think about it.

She leaned over and captured Jane's lips in a long kiss. A warm, comforting one. Maura's fingers slid along Jane's nape as she tried to pull her closer to her body. There was nothing shy about their kiss but the moment was important and symbolical. They had ceased to be friends with benefits. They were now in a romantic relationship.

"Have a good evening."

Maura got out of the car. She took her suitcase out of the trunk and waved at Jane before walking towards her house. It was still quite early in the day. That was the reason why she hadn't hesitated and had kissed Jane fully on the lips. She knew that nobody would have walked in on them.

Perhaps it was exaggerated but they wanted to have some time for themselves before telling anyone anything. They didn't need to try out their relationship as they knew that it would work out but a sweet selfishness pushed them to take their time. It was their life, after all. Their relationship. Their decisions.

"Angela... How are you?"

Maura hadn't thought that she would come across Angela first thing in the afternoon. She gave Jane's mother a smile then set her suitcase in a corner to pat Bass' shell. She was glad to see her tortoise again but the only thing she could think about was the moment Jane had asked her to be in a relationship with her.

It was the sweetest moment Maura had ever experienced in her life. She hadn't cried but it had tightened her heart nonetheless. The 'yes' she had then whispered had melted into an ocean of smiles.

Unaware of Angela's silence, Maura walked to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water. She was thirsty, and a bit tired.

"Jane decided to go back to her place right away. She wanted to see Jo Friday. What a lovely time we had in Maine. Have you ever been there? You would really love it. You know how much I love Boston but Maine... Maine is breathtaking. And so peaceful..."

Against all expectations, Maura was rather chatty. And terribly joyful. The words were sliding on her lips with an easiness that she saw as completely unusual.

She felt light, and happy.

Everything finally made sense in her life. Since she had told Jane that she wanted more than this friendship with benefits, a weight had vanished from her shoulders and whatever piece was missing to her very own jigsaw puzzle had finally be found. She knew that Jane was the one. She could feel it, deep inside her heart.

As a matter of fact, she had always known it.

"Do you sleep with my daughter?"

The question put an abrupt end to Maura's joyful thoughts. Her hand tightened its grip on the glass she was holding. There was no anger in Angela's voice. The question had been bare, and neutral. Maura swallowed hard. She hadn't seen it come though.