Author's Note: Thank you very much for all the reviews and messages, I'm really glad to see you still enjoy this story.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Maura flashed Jane a bright smile as Jane opened the door to her apartment and let her come in. Her heart beat fast and loudly in her chest. Her hands were shaking. She had tried to remain calm and to put things into perspective but she had failed. This first date meant way too much for her and Jane. It had to go smooth and be perfect.

"How are you?" Maura's hand brushed Jane's shoulder as she leaned over to kiss her partner at the corner of her mouth. "You're beautiful."

Jane smiled back. The compliment was unexpected and it made her blush. The awkward timidity was unusual but sweet. Neither of them would ever dare to admit it but they both felt the importance of the moment. At a different level.

They had met six years ago and they were now going on their first date. It was strange and delicate.

"Do you wanna drink something?"

"No, it's fine. I'm fine, thank you." Maura glanced at the living-room. Jane had cleaned it. Everythiing was neat. "Are you ready to go?"

Unlike Jane, Maura had had to work today. However she had been rather unable to focus on medical reports and science journals. The only thing that had haunted her mind was her date. Their date. She wanted it to be as perfect as it could be. And sweet.

Memorable.

"Yeah. Do I need to change? I didn't know..." Jane looked down at her attire. "I didn't know what to wear."

Maura laughed lightly. She was touched because it was something Jane usually didn't ask about. On the contrary. She often wanted to wear whatever she felt like wearing. The fact she suddenly cared meant a lot for Maura.

"No, it's perfect."

As a matter of fact, Maura herself didn't wear a dress. She had picked linen pants instead and a silk top. She was elegant but casual. It reassured Jane almost immediately.

"So... Where are we going to?"

"It's a suprise. I hope... I hope that you will like it. I don't know why but when I sent you the text message yesterday, I immediately thought about this place."

Jane grabbed her keys and gave Jo Friday a wink before following Maura out of the apartment. They had remained quite timid until now towards each other. Perhaps under other circumstances, things would have been different. The importance of the moment combined to the conversation Jane had had with her mother a couple of hours earlier made it hard for her to relax completely.

She couldn't. Not just now. Maura's voice put an end to Jane's anxious wonders.

"We'll take my car. I've parked just outside."

A powerful wave of warmth rose in Maura's stomach as she looked into Jane's eyes. She was stressed but she had also never felt so happy in her life. The evening would be perfect. She knew it.

...

"Oh." Jane stepped out of the car and looked at the building. Of course, she knew this place. However something didn't make sense. She checked her watch then turned to Maura. "Isn't it closed?"

Maura shook her head before waving a pass.

"A friend of mine works here. We have the planetarium for us tonight which is perfect because the sky is clear, cloudless. We should be able to gaze at the stars from the dome."

Jane loved the idea. It was new, and unique. She followed Maura till the door and patiently waited for her partner to come in.

The last two hours had been tough. Jane hadn't stopped thinking about Maura and how her partner had known for Mateo and Angela. At first Jane had felt angry, and betrayed. The effect of a bombshell.

It hadn't lasted very long though. She hadn't told anything to her mother because she understood the delicacy of the situation and how her mother felt hurt that Jane had stayed quiet over her and Maura's relationship. She didn't want to cause any more trouble. It was nothing but an endless misunderstanding.

Things were different for Maura. Or at least Jane had thought so until wisdom had invaded her and she had come to the conclusion that she didn't want to be mad at her partner. Besides, Maura couldn't lie. She hadn't had much of a choice when Angela had asked her. Maura's silence afterwards also made sense. Somehow.

It was acceptable.

The conversation Jane had had with her mother and the fact she knew that Maura knew nonetheless weighed on Jane's shoulders. The timing couldn't be worse. She was afraid to not be able to take advantage of this first date at the most.

She and Maura had to talk first.

Yet Jane was touched by the efforts Maura had put in their date. The idea of spending the evening together and alone at the planetarium was awesome. She didn't want to ruin it with any heavy conversation.

"There's a picnic basket in the dome room... We can put music on if you want to." Maura took the stairs that led to the last floor. She was shy but the bright smile that played on her lips betrayed an obvious happiness. "I promise not to lecture you about the stars and the planets."

Jane laughed lightly.

"It's okay. I like it when you do..."

Maura opened the large doors of the dome room. Jane had come to the planetarium a few times and her favorite room happened to be the one under the dome. She liked it because there were plenty of cushions on the floor for the visitors to sit down and look up at a reproduction of the milky way during the day. It was her first visit by night though.

The dome was opened for them to look at the real sky.

Just as Maura had said it, a picnic basket was waiting for them in the center of the room. They sat down next to it and observed the sky for long seconds. Quietly.

"Do you like it?"

Jane nodded without breaking eye-contact with the cloudless sky. The night hadn't fallen yet but the view was already breathtaking.

"It's awesome."

"Then why aren't you smiling?"

Maura's question took her aback. Jane immediately looked at her partner. She swallowed hard. She honestly tried to make an effort to enjoy the moment, which she did to an extent, but the rest weighed too much on her mind. She bit her lower lip, and hesitated for a while.

"Ma' told me that she talked to you the day we came back from Maine. I know that you told her for us."

Maura's smile froze which immediately broke Jane's heart.

"I'm sorry..." An inaudible and fragile whisper slid on Maura's lips. She bowed her head shamefully and swallowed back burning tears. "I didn't want to say it to anyone... I swear I didn't want to. But then your mother asked me and... And I didn't know what to do. I didn't want to hide the truth from her." Maura knew that she had betrayed Jane on that day. No matter the circumstances. She hated it but it was true. "Are you mad at me?"

Timidity showed through her question. She feared Jane's reaction. A lot. A heavy sigh passed Jane's lips.

"No... I just wish we had had more time for ourselves... For us, you know." It wasn't how Jane had imagined their first date to go. She had the feeling to completely ruin it. Just like the rest, actually. "I wish it worked out."

The silence that followed caused them both to feel miserable for they knew that what Jane had just said was right. One of them had simply put words on a feeling they had had for a while. They were stuck, and their relationship didn't manage to get start.

Maura opened her mouth to speak. She had to say something. Anything. She had the same feeling as Jane about their relationship but the fact Jane felt alike wasn't really comforting. On the contrary.

Jane didn't give her time to speak.

"I wish it worked out because... Because I'm not ashamed. I'm not ashamed of us. I've never been ashamed. I love you." Jane looked into Maura's eyes. "I'm in love with you, Maura."

It turned Maura speechless. She had planned their date from A to Z but had suddenly lost the control of the situation. The look of surprise on Jane's face made her understand that even her partner was surprised of the confession. The words had probably slid on Jane's lips by themselves.

Still unable to find the slightest thing to say, Maura leaned over and captured Jane's lips in a kiss. Her hand slid on her partner's nape to caress the skin there. Jane's body was warm and inviting.

As Maura broke the kiss, she looked into Jane's eyes and smiled brightly.

"We'll make it work. I know we'll make it work."

It wasn't determination but necessity that made Maura speak because Maura knew that if her relationship with Jane failed then her life stopped making sense.