Their dinner had been wonderful. The food had been delicious, the setting beautiful and the company perfect. Wrapped up in their discussions and each other they had been completely mindless of the many hours that went by with them just sitting at the candlelit table chatting and laughing together. When they finally made themselves over to the sofa to have their dessert it had been unusually late. But they weren't concerned by it. For once, they didn't have to worry that it turned too late. Tonight they didn't have to have that needless but required discussion whether Jane should go home to her apartment or if she should stay along in Maura's guestroom. Because tonight they were both at home with their beds just up the stairs.

Instead they had – subconsciously or not – delayed their bedtime, and when the dessert was all finished, their glasses of Grappa drunken, they somehow ended up watching a documentary Maura had recorded a while back. It might not have been the first choice for both of them, but it was something.

When Jane finally saw the end credit roll, however, she let out a breath of relief. She couldn't deny that some of the documentaries and strange educational programmes her friend could force her to watch weren't all bad. This one, though, most definitely was.

She was not the slightest bit regretful when she pushed the off button on the remote, turning the TV black.

Ready to shoot a sarcastic comment about the dreadfully boring programme to her friend, she leaned over the form lying in front of her. To her surprise she found her sound asleep, her mouth slightly open against the sofa cushion beneath, her chest rising and falling steadily and her face unbelievably peaceful.

Jane couldn't help but smile at the sight.

She looked absolutely adorable.

Of some reason Jane couldn't even be annoyed that she had made her watch through a whole hour long documentary about ancient Rome's sewer system while she herself had fallen asleep. Neither did she really bother to reflect about the way they were positioned on the sofa, how very close and almost intimate they were lying; Jane lying on her side against the back of the sofa and Maura lying closely against her in front. She knew that maybe she should - that maybe it was another one of those things that she and Maura comfortably did but as friends they shouldn't; that she should see it as some kind of warning signal that they were overstepping that magical line past platonic friendship. But she wasn't concerned about it. She had promised herself not to be concerned about it.

She didn't know when, exactly, they had ended up lying like that, though. She just knew that somewhere along the way, Maura had shifted to lean against the armrest of the sofa, pulling her legs up to rest in Jane's lap. Then, some time later when the monotone voice of the documentary's narrator went on and on about aqueducts, latrines and underground water canals, Jane had tiredly leaned in against her friend. In an almost fluid motion Maura had then shifted to somehow curl up in front, simultaneously as Jane pulled up her legs to lie back behind her, resting her head on the pillow beneath. And then there they had lied, almost moulded together, and watched the programme.

Jane wouldn't even try to deny that she liked it.

Feeling unable to wake up her sleeping friend just yet, she carefully reached over to put the remote on the coffee table before her eyes again settled on her. Somewhat hesitantly she reached out to brush away a string of hair from her face. Then, with just an almost inexistent moment of pondering, she closed the small distance between them and planted a soft kiss on her temple. It was simply too tempting not too. And as her best friend she could do that. She was allowed to give in to her spontaneous, and somewhat uncharacteristic, urges to touch, just be close, to her friend. They had both explicitly and implicitly, and time after time, reassured each other of that.

She smiled, of some reason feeling impossibly warm and content, as she gazed down on her again.

It really was amazing how completely relaxed she looked, Jane then mused. How oddly relaxed it made Jane watching her. But that was one of the things Maura did to her; something she had always been able to and continued to increasingly do. Make her more relaxed and at ease; make her comfortable enough to even lie there with her without a care in the world. She simply gave her a sanctuary where she didn't have to act all tough and badass. Because she knew that was how she behaved, how she needed to act, with everyone else. She couldn't afford to do it any other way. But with Maura she allowed herself to breath and just be.

And she knew that Maura felt the same way. Not that Maura ever held back parts of herself that it sometimes felt as if Jane did – Maura would probably be physically unable to even if she tried – but Jane knew that she instead felt uncomfortable amongst other people. That she, despite her so blunt honesty, always was tense and nervous around people. But that she with Jane could let her own guard down.

It really was quite amazing how in tune and attached they were with each other. Sometimes it almost overwhelmed her how close they had become; how close they increasingly seemed to get. Because Jane had never really had anyone like that before. Maybe she had always had people around her, people who loved her and were always there for her, but still she had often felt alone. She had simply never had anyone like Maura. Someone she opened herself up to so entirely. And in the darkness of the night, watching her friend's peaceful sleep, she even allowed herself to admit that she really needed that. She needed to have someone – Maura – who she could be entirely herself with; who she could lean and even depend on when she needed to. Because Maura had done that to. Taken care and supported her. Whenever Hoyt had made her life a living hell; when she tried to recover from that stupid gunshot; all those other times her life had been nothing but a crumbling mess. Maura had always been there to hold her up.

Instinctively a smile reached her lips as an obvious, but unfamiliar, thought came to her. She let her eyes drift over the gentle, perfect, features of her friend's peaceful face, and couldn't stop the smile from widening.

Yep, there was no doubt about it: Maura Isles was her friggin rock.

She let her eyes and smile linger for just a moment longer before she finally broke through her somewhat uncharacteristically emotional thoughts. Instead she put a gentle hand on her friend's shoulder, shaking gently. "Maura?" she whispered softly.

A soft moan came from the sleeping ME as she nuzzled her face against the cushion below, pressing herself tighter back against Jane – almost as if really wanting to mould herself together with her.

Jane couldn't help but smile and she fought the urge to wrap an arm around her to comply to her unconscious, but to Jane, rather obvious, request to snuggle up against her. For a moment she also pondered if she should let her sleep there throughout the night; if she could allow herself to close her own eyes, rest her head in the nape of her friend's neck and sleep there alongside her. But letting her better judgement take charge she soon dismissed both thoughts. Some kind of self-restraint was needed after all, if this increasing closeness they were having wouldn't escalate and turn them into two completely inseparable and dependable fools.

That they were already, went completely over her head.

"Maura?" she instead repeated softly, gently shaking her shoulder again. "It's time to go to bed."

Sleepily Maura opened her eyes, and finding her friend's eyes and seeing the loving gaze she offered, she smiled tiredly. But as she the next moment pulled herself out from her sleepy state, she noticed the black TV. "Oh Jane, did I sleep through it?"

"You did, and next time you better tell me that on beforehand so I don't have to lie here like a fool watching through the whole damn thing on my own," Jane joked.

Knowing her friend's disinterest in ancient technologies, Maura searched out the hand that was still lying on her shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I'm sorry," she said, but when she craned her neck to look back at her, she couldn't quite hide the smile over the fact that Jane had actually managed to watch through it all.

"Yeah, well, that's ok," Jane shrugged. "At least the last advertisement break was fun."

Maura chuckled and pulling back her hand she automatically pulled Jane's with her.

Jane smiled for herself, a mixture of satisfaction and amusement that she had suspected correctly; Maura did indeed want to cuddle. Willingly she let Maura wrap her arm around herself, before she on her own accord slightly tightened the embrace. If they both allowed and wanted it, there was no reason why she couldn't loosen up a bit of that self-restraint after all.

They let silence fall upon them, and as if just now realizing their first day living together had really come to an end they just lied there, feeling the warmth of the other woman, listening to their matching breathings in the otherwise silent room; almost as if wanting to prolong the evening as much as possible.

"We- we better get to bed huh?" Jane then however forced herself to say, her voice somewhat raspier than usual.

Maura sighed heavily. "Yeah," she said downheartedly, but instead of making a move to get up she increased the hold of her friend's arm, automatically pulling them closer together. But then, as if the increased closeness wasn't enough, or as if indeed wanting to find an excuse of prolonging the evening, or maybe of some entirely different reason – she wasn't quite certain herself of her motive – she started to shift to move around to face her friend. And even if Jane was just as uncertain of Maura's intentions, she automatically complied and started shifting as well to allow Maura to turn around in front.

Only a moment past before the small space of the sofa hindered their non-seamless movements.

"Wait a minute-," Jane groaned and pressed herself slightly back in the sofa when Maura somewhat clumsily, but entirely accidentally, shoved her elbow into Jane.

Trying to accommodate, Maura shifted, but hindered by not only the small space but also their both suddenly hurried desires to turn to face each other, she failed miserably and instead managed to dig her elbow deeper into her friend's chest.

"Ow- wait-" Jane then moaned uncomfortably and reached up to protect her assaulted chest, "-you're squishing my boob."

"Oh I'm sorry," Maura immediately apologized and pulled back, but as she caught her friend's eyes they both realized what they were doing and their ridiculous reluctance to go to bed. They laughed and with a lingering amused grin in their faces they rested back in the sofa.

But then, almost simultaneously, they sighed and broke their eye contact.

But still Maura didn't move or got up from the sofa. She simply couldn't. She couldn't let go of the warmth and comfortableness just yet. Instead she lowered her head, away from the inevitable prospect of getting up, away from the truth that was almost staring her straight in the face, and moved closer to the safe and comforting warmth of her friend. She let slender fingers come up to the soft skin of her friend's neck, softly running over a faint scar that she knew she had a similar one of, before they almost mechanically sneaked around to the back of her neck. Her grasp was light but natural, and probably spoke more of her true feelings than she was aware of. She buried her face into the unruly dark locks of her friend's hair.

A moment past by before she spoke.

"Thank you for today Jane," she said silently, her voice so low and muffled Jane almost didn't catch it. "And for moving in with me."

All day – or ever since Jane had first agreed to come and live with her – Maura had felt a variety of emotions. She had felt exuberant happy, ridiculously giddy, unexpectedly hopeful as well as things she couldn't even explain, but now, lying in the protective cocoon of her friend's embrace and with most of their first day behind them, it was the feeling of gratitude that almost overtook her. It was almost as if she hadn't quite realized how very grateful she was towards her friend; how much it really meant that Jane was there, living with her. "I never thought I would ever be anything but alone," she then said, a sign of her lonely past sneaking into her voice. "This really means a lot to me."

Jane felt a sting in her heart at hearing the sorrowful tone in her friend's voice as well as the clear meaning of her words. But still it wasn't anything new. She knew her friend had been lonely in her life and that she valued Jane's company and friendship just like Jane valued Maura's; that maybe Jane was Maura's rock just as Maura was hers. Instinctively she tightened the hold of the arm that had again somehow sneaked around her friend, and not bothering with any sarcasm or jokes to protect herself with, she just went with the truth. "It means a lot to me too Maur," she said. "You mean a lot to me."

Maura smiled, and she didn't even care to ponder that maybe she shouldn't when she pressed her lips against her friend's neck in reply. And then also Jane smiled, for not only the affectionate action but also for knowing it was an acceptable thing for them to do. And even thought they knew that they shouldn't, they let the comfortable silence overtake them yet again to allow their evening to go on for a few more moments.

Ok, so this chapter was a bit shorter than usually (and a bit back towards complete obliviousness). Sorry about that. I actually have a second part written but I decided to wait with it. Thing is, I have a problem. Namely, I am again wondering which direction I want to take this story (if it haven't become clear yet, I am a very indecisive person..). Up until recently I thought I would wrap up the story fairly soon, but after your wonderful reviews for the last chapter (thanks btw!) I got the feeling that many of you really want to see it go on for a while longer (more exploration of an increasing physical closeness, increasing glimpses of their unconscious, more reactions and interaction with other people etc - simply a more slow-process of breaking through their obliviousness (if that's possible. lol)). Parts of me really want to finish it as I'd planned, but parts of me are really tempted to go the longer route as well. 'Cuz I have possible scenes already lining up in my head.. So anyway, I'm kind of standing at a cross road with this chapter, so I'd be happy to hear any opinions, thoughts and ideas you have about the matter. I won't promise anything, but I might be able to sway in whichever direction :)

Or maybe even two, alternative, endings could be of interest? 'Cuz I might very well be willing to that as well.

And now I'm gonna stop vacillate. Sorry for this rant :/