(Notes at the end)

Chapter 16

A warm, familiar hand reached over and firmly planted itself on Jane's bouncing knee. "Stop that," said Maura. "Everything is going to be okay."

Jane gave her a grateful smile. "I know. I'm sorry. I'm just… nervous."

"Don't worry, Janie," said Tommy, coming over to the couch to hand his sister a beer. "Drink this and chill out."

"Thanks, Tommy," said Jane, taking a long pull from the bottle.

It was Jane's first full day back in Boston, and Tommy was the only member of her family who knew she was here. She and Maura had gotten in late the night before. Since it was a Sunday, Maura and Jane had decided to come out to the entire family at the same time, as well as break the news that Jane was back in Boston for good. Jane had no idea why they had chosen to do it this way, and in retrospect it seemed like a bad idea. She thought her mother was likely to suffer a massive heart attack at all the news she was about to get.

But it was too late to change their minds now. Sunday dinner preparations were well underway. Tommy was in Maura's kitchen preparing various dishes for the family to eat, with TJ sitting at the counter alternating between watching him and playing on his tablet. Looking at the two of them, Jane felt a swell of warmth for them both, and she set her beer down at the table and went to Maura's-her own-bedroom. She hadn't had a chance to unpack her suitcase since she'd spent an incredibly pleasurable morning with Maura in the big, soft bed that they would now share every night. Pushing those memories aside, Jane dug around in her bag until she located the gift she'd purchased for Tommy despite the fact that she'd had to pay full price after losing her FBI discount.

Maura saw what she was intending to do and decided to make herself scarce, kissing Jane on the cheek as she passed by on her way into the bedroom to begin unpacking her own suitcase. She took TJ with her, promising to let him jump on the bed. Soon the sound of his laughter could be heard from all the way downstairs.

Bringing the unwrapped gift to the kitchen, Jane hid it behind her back and approached her youngest brother. "I got you something," she said.

"Ooh," he said excitedly. "Gimme!" When Jane grinned and handed it over, his delight was obvious and unforced. "No friggin way! Thanks Janie, this is so cool!" He immediately unfolded the FBI apron and put it on, tying it around his body firmly. "I'm gonna use this all the time." He hugged his sister, then asked, "What's the occasion?"

"Tommy, I… You did something for me that I can't ever repay. Maura told me what you guys talked about, and she said if it wasn't for you she might never have realized how she felt about me."

"I don't believe that," said Tommy, shaking his head. "She woulda figured it out eventually."

"She doesn't think so," said Jane. "You know her brain doesn't work like other people's, especially not when it comes to stuff like this."

"All I did was make a suggestion. And I don't wanna embarrass you, but I saw that letter you wrote. That was a hell of a suggestion, too."

"Yeah, but it came from me. You're an objective third party, and Maura is a scientist. She listened to you because she knew you had nothing to gain from it. You were like the control group in an experiment. Having it come from you made it less scary, and it gave her the time she needed to really think it through. Because of you, by the time I got my shit together and told her how I felt, she was already in a mental place where she understood and accepted her own feelings, so she was in a position to say yes. I owe that to you, Tommy. And a stupid apron can't nearly make us even for it. Thank you for everything you gave me. I mean it."

Blushing, Tommy shrugged and mumbled, "Well, I mean, I was just bein' nosy but… You're welcome. I'm happy for you, Jane. For both of you. I think it's really great."

"I'm gonna hug you now," Jane warned him. "Don't you dare give me a wet willy."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

Jane hugged him tightly, trying to convey just how grateful she was to him. By the time they pulled apart they both had to awkwardly attempt to hide their emotions, each not wanting to be susceptible to teasing from the other. For a moment they didn't say anything, and then Jane said casually, "I'm gonna be starting my own private investigation firm soon. That interest you at all?"

Again, his eyes lit up with excitement. "Oh, hell yeah!"

Laughing, Jane punched him in the arm. "Good. You'd have to get your license, but I could help you with that and show you the ropes. I've been told I'm a very good teacher."

"I'm in, Jane. But won't my criminal record be a problem?"

"Only if your employer runs a background check, and I think I'll probably skip that." Maura came back into the room with TJ in tow, and Jane smiled at her lover as their eyes met. "But we'll talk about it tomorrow, alright?" Jane said, bringing her attention back to Tommy. "Today I got some other stuff to think about."

"You look very handsome in that," said Maura as she came over to straighten the apron out on Tommy's body. "If I wasn't madly in love with your sister…"

"That's great, Maura," said Tommy, rolling his eyes. "How many times in your life are you gonna make that joke to me?"

"Hundreds, most likely," replied Maura bluntly. Then she surprised him by giving him a warm hug. "Thank you," she said, then kissed his cheek. "You're a good friend, Tommy."

"I'm a good brother-in-law," he corrected her, and Maura smiled.

As the time when people were scheduled to arrive drew ever closer, Jane began to pace nervously around Maura's house, biting her fingernails and nursing her beer. Unable to take it anymore, Maura stopped her, tugged her in to the hallway out of Tommy and TJ's view, and stepped into her arms to wrap her in a firm, reassuring embrace. "Jane, it's going to be okay," she said softly.

Sighing and returning the hug, Jane said, "I know. I do. I don't know why I'm freaking out. I thought you would be the one pacing around and getting hives, not me."

"You don't have hives, do you?"

"No, but I'm hyperventilating a little. How are you so calm?"

"Because of this." Maura raised herself up on her toes to give Jane a kiss. "Because I know that no matter what happens today, at the end of the day I'll still have you, just as I always have and always will."

Jane looked in to Maura's eyes and considered the woman in her arms, running through a multitude of scenarios and outcomes for the evening in her head. And she realized that every single one of those scenarios ended with her and Maura still together, still in love. It reassured Jane more than any reassurance or placation could have, and she felt tension drain out of her body. "You're right," she said. "God, you're so right."

"I often am." She kissed Jane again, longer and deeper this time, shivering at the sublime feeling of their lips sliding together, at once still so new and yet so familiar and right. "I love you, Jane," she whispered against those lips.

"I love you too, Maura."

Fifteen minutes later, Angela came through the back door and shrieked when she saw Jane sitting casually on the sofa watching a Red Sox game and drinking a beer. "Jane! What the hell are you doing here?" She launched herself at her daughter, hugging her tightly.

"I'm home, Ma," said Jane with a wobbly smile. "I'm home for good."

"Why?" asked Angela, her eyes filling with tears. "Is this a good thing or a bad thing?"

"It's a good thing, Ma, but let's wait for Frankie and Nina before I explain, okay?"

Angela looked like she wanted to argue, but Maura walked over to run interference. "Hello, Angela," she said.

"Hi Maura. Welcome back," said Angela, turning to hug Maura furiously "Did you bring my daughter home to me?"

"I did," said Maura.

"Why?" asked Angela again, begging for an answer.

But Maura shook her head. "Please, Angela, be patient. You'll know soon enough."

It wasn't long before Frankie and Nina appeared, and they both were also happy but puzzled to find Jane there. The whole family was standing around the living room, looking at Jane with quizzical smiles, except for Tommy, who was lurking in the kitchen but paying avid attention to the situation as it unfolded.

"What's going on, Janie?" asked Frankie. "Why did you come home?"

"We're all here now. Tell us!" Angela insisted.

Jane took a deep breath and looked over at Maura, who smiled encouragingly at her. "I came home because of Maura," she said. Thinking better of her wording, wanting to get her point across, she reached over and took Maura's hand, entwining their fingers tightly. "I came home for Maura. So that we can build our lives together as a couple."

Frankie let out a triumphant whoop and threw his arms around both Maura and Jane, squeezing them in a three-way hug. "Finally!" he exclaimed. "It only took ten god damn years!" When he pulled away, Nina also hugged the two of them.

"Congrats, you guys. I'm really happy for you," she said.

"Thanks," said Jane, adorably bashful but obviously pleased.

Frankie pointed at Tommy and said, "You knew, didn't you, you little prick?"

"Maybe," said Tommy cryptically, barely looking up from his cooking duties.

Jane and Maura were both now focused on Angela, who had burst into tears at the news. Approaching her hesitantly, Jane asked, "Ma?"

Without warning, Angela threw her arms around Jane and sobbed into her shoulder, saying, "I prayed for this. Oh, god, how I prayed for this…" She held a hand out to Maura, who joined in on the hug, deeply moved by the gesture. After a long moment she released them, but she held onto each of their hands. "When Jane left I thought it was over. I thought all hope was lost. Why did it take you so long?" she sobbed.

"I was scared, Ma," said Jane with a self-effacing smile. "That's all I can say, really. I was a coward."

"And I was too dense to understand the true nature of my feelings for Jane," admitted Maura. "I needed Tommy to help me figure out what I was feeling."

"Tommy?" repeated Frankie incedulously.

Nodding at him, Maura said, "Yes. He pointed out what was so obvious to everyone else, but for some reason I couldn't see for myself. It was exactly what I needed."

"So we have Tommy's complete lack of tact to thank for this," said Nina, laughing. "That's awesome."

"Tommy!" wailed Angela, releasing Maura and Jane and rushing over to hug her youngest son. "Oh, I'm so proud of you baby. You're such a good boy."

"C'mon, Ma…" he grumbled, but everyone could tell he was enjoying her attention and praise.

Over the rest of the evening Jane filled them in on Claire's murder and how it had led to her being fired from the FBI. Everyone was appalled to hear about the story, and in the end they all agreed that being a private investigator was a solid choice of career for Jane. Angela was happy that Jane was still picking a job that would keep her relatively safe.

It was as wonderful a Sunday dinner as they'd ever had, but in Maura's opinion, the best part was that Jane kept her arm draped casually around the back of her chair almost the entire time and nobody commented on it or thought it was strange. It warmed her to think that this family, this wonderful, amazing family, had accepted her into the fold. And not only that, they also approved of her new position as Jane's girlfriend.

As she thought this, she realized all of a sudden that she no longer liked that word as much as she used to. It didn't seem to fit anymore now that they had informed Jane's family of the advancement in their relationship. It sounded too transient, when in fact Maura knew their relationship was anything but.

The next morning was another truly momentous occasion. For the first time since they'd started sleeping together, Jane woke up first.

She grinned devilishly as she realized Maura was still sleeping, and she took a few minutes to enjoy watching Maura sleep and decide how she wanted to wake her. She ultimately decided on a traditional approach and leaned down to press her lips against Maura's.

Maura awoke almost at once. Jane knew it because she smiled and buried her hands in Jane's sleep-tousled hair as she kissed her back. Soon, though, Jane trailed her kisses down Maura's neck, pausing to dip her tongue in the dips of her collarbone. Then she continued onward, not stopping until she was suckling on one of Maura's nipples and rolling the other between her fingertips.

"Oh, Jane," moaned Maura, shifting her legs, trying to find any part of Jane to press against to provide some kind of relief.

Hearing Maura say her name like that always drove Jane wild, and she moved away from Maura's full breasts to slide down her body, wanting only to give Maura exactly what she needed. Settling her upper body between Maura's legs, she reached out to part her with her fingers, taking a moment to enjoy the sight of her, her mouth watering at the scent of Maura's arousal. When she finally ran her tongue along Maura's wetness she heard her name from her lover's lips again, and her corresponding moan was muffled by Maura's clit between her lips. She wrapped her lips around the sensitive bud and circled it lovingly with her tongue slowly at first, but then faster at Maura's breathless request.

It wasn't long before the shudders began, and Jane sucked harder to draw a sharp gasp and then a cry from Maura as she came against Jane's mouth. Once her lover was spent, Jane kissed her way back up her body and gathered her in her arms, still feeling quite smug and proud of herself for waking up first.

"I can't imagine a better way to wake up," purred Maura, her limbs limp and her body pleasantly tingly.

"Now you know how I feel when you do it to me."

"I should sleep in more often."

"Yes you should," said Jane.

Maura must still have been tired, because Jane could tell she was beginning to drift off in her arms. "Jane?" she murmured drowsily.

"Yeah?"

"I don't want to be your girlfriend anymore."

If she'd been more insecure, the comment might have alarmed Jane. But she was so confident in their love for one another that she understood that this was a reference to their conversation regarding Maura's penchant towards accurate nomenclature. "Okay," said Jane affectionately, brushing blonde locks away from Maura's beautiful face. "What do you want to be instead?"

"Hmm," said Maura, forcing her eyes open to meet Jane's loving gaze. "Let's try partner for a while."

Jane tried it out. "Partner. My partner, Dr. Maura Isles."

"Do you like it?"

"Yeah, for now. But I reserve the right to change it in the future," teased Jane.

"To what?"

"Wife," replied Jane simply.

Smiling, Maura closed her eyes and burrowed closer to Jane. "That's the best one," she said. "I like it." There was a long silence, and Jane assumed Maura had fallen back asleep. But then she heard Maura say again: "Jane?"

"Yeah?"

"I have a surprise for you."

"What's that?"

Maura rolled over in bed and opened the top drawer in her bedside table. She pulled out a thick stack of paper and handed it to Jane. "Here."

"What…" But one glance at the page on top made Jane gasp with excitement, and she sat bolt upright in bed. It was clearly a complete copy of the manuscript of Maura's book. "You finished it?"

"Yes," said Maura, burrowing back into her pillow.

"When?"

"Over the last couple of days in Virginia. I put the finishing touches on it yesterday afternoon while you were talking to Tommy."

Thinking back on their time together in Quantico, it had definitely seemed apparent that Maura was making solid progress on the book during her writing hours. More than once she'd woken in the night to find Maura typing away on her laptop beside her in bed. Her pace of typing had seemed to exceed the speed Maura had achieved while they'd been in Paris. Jane supposed there was no substitute for being with Maura in person, and if her presence helped Maura write, then it made sense that she'd be able to complete the book while they were as close as they had been in Virginia, and as close as they were now, both physically and emotionally.

"I want to read it right now," said Jane eagerly. "Can I?"

"That's why I gave it to you."

"Where did I leave off?"

"I put a bookmark in it for you."

Leaning down, Jane kissed Maura and said, "Thank you."

"You're welcome."

"Go back to sleep so I can read."

"Okay," said Maura, her eyes already closed.

Before locating the bookmark, Jane flipped open the first couple of pages and found that Maura had included a dedication page. It read:

For Jane, who is always by my side. You are my past, present, and future.

THE END

Author's Notes: And there you have it, folks. We've reached the end of another journey together.

I know why I was drawn to R&I as a fandom. It's because of the fact that Maura and Jane weren't actually a couple, despite the fact that they had this great chemistry and relationship. The creators were never going to go there, and everyone knew it, but we watch anyway because the teasing is too much to resist. I submit that this is the perfect storm for a fanfiction community. Great chemistry + no possibility of it ever happening + blatant queer-baiting = PERFECT FANFIC OPPORTUNITY.

This is largely because everyone loves a "first time" fic, and not having the relationship be canon means there are infinite possibilities for those.

That being said, I thought of two as I was watching the show, and now I've written both. So I think I'm basically done writing fanfic for a while. I've been trying, but I can't think of another plot that appeals to me. If anyone has any ideas for what you'd like me to write, let me know. Otherwise I believe this is probably goodbye for a while.

Thanks so much for reading, and for all your kind comments and messages. Y'all are wonderful and darling and dear to my heart. I'll miss you more than you could possibly know.