A/N: This chapter could also be called "In Which Alcohol Finally Isn't Totally the Villain."

It took a few moments for Jane to catch up with what Maura had just said. She hadn't even noticed that Booth and Brennan had walked back to the house to provide the privacy they felt the situation warranted. "I'm—Maura!" Her exasperated, heavily annoyed tone belied her words when she said, "Of course I'm in love with you!"

"Well how was I supposed to know that?"

"How? I told you last night! We slept together! I said more than once that I was in love with you!"

"No you didn't, you said you loved me!" When Jane did nothing but give her that what-the-freak-are-you-talking-about which usually applied only to medical terms, Maura sighed impatiently and said, "You've also said you loved every person who came trudging through my door today! Whether or not you realize it, there is a very important albeit often-overlooked difference between saying you love someone and saying you are in love with someone!"

"I can't believe you, Maura, I really can't. Of all the things to get hung up on…" But Jane's anger was slowly seeping out of her, and she laughed ruefully, allowing Maura's defenses to go down a bit. Stepping closer, Jane took both of Maura's hands in her own and said, "Please. Don't doubt me. Don't doubt this. I'm… I'm in love with you. And if you'll give this relationship a chance, I want you to know that I'm in. I'm all in." She shook her head, as if trying to get rid of the alcohol she felt her brain was sloshing around in. "How could you think anything else?"

"I believe you," Maura whispered.

"Then what are we fighting about?" Jane asked, but one nervous look from Maura was all she needed to remind her. "Oh. Right," she said a bit darkly. "You've kissed women before."

"A woman, Jane. Just one."

"Still." Her voice became softer; she was suddenly anxious not to upset Maura in any way. Some part of her was vaguely aware of the fact that getting angry wouldn't solve anything. "You never told me. How come?"

Maura looked around. There was nobody else on the sidewalk, but she still didn't feel like having this conversation out in the wide open. Wordlessly she took Jane's hand and headed back towards her home. She felt Jane still upon realizing where they were going, but with a gentle tug, Maura led her to the guest house, which was currently vacant. Jane wondered if Booth had explained to her family that she and Maura were having a heart-to-heart, and that's why they hadn't returned yet. At any rate, they seemed to reach the guest house undetected. Once inside, Maura sat on the corner of the bed, and patted the spot next to her.

Once Jane had joined her, Maura asked, "How drunk are you?"

"Not very," Jane sighed, reaching out and stroking the back of Maura's hand until the doctor turned it over to interlock their fingers. "Just enough to be extra happy when I was happy, and extra paranoid and upset when I… found out you'd been hiding this from me. But I'm here, Maura, really. If you talk, I'll listen." She shrugged. "I've been waiting for you too long not to."

Maura closed her eyes. "It's… hard to know where to begin."

"Who was she?" Jane gently pressed her. "What's her name, how did you meet?"

"Officer Vivian Phillips."

A rueful little half-laugh came out of Jane. "She was a cop, too?"

"Yes. I met her when I was working in New York. It was… exhilarating being with her, with a woman. She treated me like a queen, she really did, and at first that was lovely. But it got to be too much. There were expectations we both had for each other which never got reached, and that frustrated us—me, especially. It became physical for her, purely physical. I would talk and get only the most basic, monosyllabic replies. She didn't want to talk things out as much as I'd hoped, and after months of knowing her, I realized I didn't know nearly as much about her as I thought I should have. And I hated—I hated that she was constantly putting herself in physical danger. It felt as though my heart plummeted every time I got a call from the hospital, but she'd just put on this brave face and tell me there was nothing to worry about. I don't know if she ever really loved me." She laughed quietly, but it was the kind of laugh which sounded as though it was mocking the person who made it. "I know she loved having sex with me. A lot. She loved it a lot, and she loved having it a lot."

"Okay, Maura…"

"Right, sorry. My point is that—physical aspects of a relationship are of course very important, and naturally very enjoyable. But ideally, there should be more."

"I agree," Jane said softly. "But Maura—how come you never told me? And please, don't just say it never came up."

"Well, it didn't," Maura said.

"The hell it didn't," Jane shot back, fighting to keep her voice level. "I asked you for dating advice, I told you about who I was dating. All it would've taken was a simple 'well, when I did this or that for my girlfriend…' kind of thing, and that's all I'd have needed!"

"I'm no good at that," Maura said awkwardly. "You made it sound so smooth—you know I'd have to try and find a way to be direct, and besides." She sighed heavily. "When I left New York, I went to work in Philadelphia before I came here. The main reason I came to Boston was because I wanted to work in this town, but part of it was because I couldn't take the harassment at work."

Jane immediately shifted into righteous-indignation mode. "People harassed you there? For having been with a woman?"

"Sorry, no, not like that," Maura sighed, trying to figure out how best to explain this. "A very persistent surgeon kept asking me out, and I told him I didn't want to date anyone for a while because I had just gotten out of a really terrible relationship. He kept pressing me, and I told him it was a woman, and the next thing I knew, everyone kept telling me I should date another of the surgeons at the hospital, Erica Gray."

"A lesbian, I'm assuming?"

"Yes. But I didn't want to date her; I didn't want to date anybody. My co-workers refused to let it go, though, and after a couple of months I finally agreed to go out with her. It was fine, I had a nice time, but I wasn't interested in pursuing it any further. Erica wanted more, though. She eventually dropped it, but people in the department wouldn't. They made asinine assumptions, they jumped to conclusions, and I hated that. So…" She took a deep breath and finally looked Jane in the eyes again. "When I came to BPD, I decided not to say anything. Maybe that was stupid, maybe that was selfish. But I didn't want people to tell me I should date you. I didn't want them thinking because you were a lesbian and I had dated a woman that we should be together. I get anxious, Jane. I fret over things that nobody else ever does."

"But Maura—"

"Wait, there's more. I left New York because I couldn't stand to be in the same environment as Vivian anymore. And I don't want that to happen to us—Viv and I hardly knew each other before we started dating, but you and I, it's totally different. You are my best friend, Jane. Bar none." At some point, maybe just a few seconds ago, she had started crying. "If I didn't get to see you or talk to you every day, I would be devastated. It would ruin me. I've had to keep telling myself that it wouldn't be worth it to screw things up just for sex."

"You're right, it wouldn't be." When Maura gave a little sob at hearing this, Jane gripped her hand tighter and said, "Just for sex? That would not be worth it. But that's not what I want, Maura, it's not what either of us wants. We want a relationship. And I can start off making promises right now: I won't treat you like a queen. I'll treat you like a human being. One who's brilliant, beautiful, and fun to be around—but human all the same. You've got your quirks, your off-days, your…" She shrugged and waved her hand vaguely. "Issues, by your own admission. I've got mine, too. But you gotta know this, Maura: you gotta know that my job will put me in danger. That's just how it goes. You could get those hospital calls on my account."

"I know that. I already have. And I know there's nothing you can do about it."

"I've taken risks before," Jane said quietly, rubbing her thumb over Maura's fingers. "Stuff that sometimes paid off, and other times just left me in a lot worse shape than I needed to be. All I could think about was the badge and how that meant I was supposed to give it my all. But …I think I can give it my all without being stupid. And I've been stupid. I'm not going to do that anymore. I'll maybe toe the line, but I won't ever cross it—not if I know that you were depending on me to make it out all right."

Maura cried out "oh!" and pulled Jane into a tight, trembling embrace. They sat like that on the edge of the bed for several moments, Jane rubbing Maura's back as the doctor tried to calm down.

"Just breathe deep, honey," Jane gently encouraged her. "Maura, I don't know what got you to suddenly be on board with this, or… how long you've felt this way, but I feel like I should just say this much more: I am in love with you in every possible way. I've never felt as close to someone as I have to you, that's the truth. I never get tired of being with you, and I could talk to you for hours."

She shifted her position to pull back just enough to kiss Maura softly on the lips. Maura returned it with a whimper, curling her fingers into Jane's hair and holding on tight.

"And that," Jane whispered, pulling back for breath, "makes me feel so good about taking things another step further. I am beyond attracted to you, to the point that I haven't been able to really be with anyone for a long time. I was just always thinking of you, thinking of us."

"Then you're not mad about it?" Maura asked. "You're not still mad that I didn't tell you about Vivian?"

Jane sighed and brushed away some tears from Maura's face. "I don't understand it, and I'm still kind of… annoyed, yeah. Most of your reasoning makes sense on a lot of levels, and the really important thing now is that we both want this to happen. That is what we both want, right? I don't want to speak for you."

"Then I'll just let this speak for itself," Maura said before leaning in to kiss Jane again.

While this reconciliation had been going on, Ma Rizzoli had (in a somewhat flustered state) put out dessert and brandy for people. She was a little worried about Jane and Maura, but Booth assured her that everything would be fine and that they would come back soon—which in truth, he could only hope for at best. He and the rest of the men were sitting on the couch and the floor in front of Maura's fancy TV, watching the game and stuffing their faces. Brennan was keeping Ma Rizzoli company in the kitchen, giving the older woman a lecture on the anthropological reasons for what men found so exciting about football and why it was so much more common for them to enjoy it in groups better than woman typically did. She was just complimenting her on the exceptional brandy when Booth walked up unexpectedly.

"Angela, you shouldn't be in here cleaning already!" he laughed. "Go enjoy the game with the guys. C'mon, I insist. You've been cooking all day. Let us help with the clean-up."

"Agent Booth, you don't have to do—"

"I know I don't have to, but I want to. Come on. I'll consider it a favor." With only a bit more of an argument, Angela smiled at him and obligingly walked over to the TV. Booth picked up her abandoned dish towel and flung it over his shoulder. "You wanna wash, and I'll dry?" he asked Brennan.

"You volunteered yourself for this," Brennan said lightly. "I'm just here to watch."

"Well if all you're going to do is watch, why don't you go watch the game?"

"Football bores me," she sighed. "I'd much rather watch you."

"Watch me clean dishes?"

She shrugged. "Watch you do anything."

Booth had been about to turn on the faucet, but at Brennan's words, turned to stare at her instead. "You okay, there Bones?"

By way of response, Brennan waved her glass and said, "This brandy is really excellent. Anyway, Booth, I've been thinking. Well, I think a lot. People generally do, but because of the nature of my work and the type of person that I am, I tend to think more than most people. Anyway, I called Sweets this morning."

"You what?"

"I called Sweets. This morning. Dr. Sweets."

"Wh…why?"

"Well before you and I came down for this trip—where let's face it, I have been mostly useless to the case—Sweets wanted to talk about our relationship again. Yours and mine. And I think he may have been right about some things."

Booth sighed and started washing one of the dishes. "Bones, I'd really appreciate it if you wouldn't bring other people into—I dunno, discussions about whatever our relationship is, all right?"

"But Booth, he helped!" Brennan insisted, walking around to the sink and shutting it off, forcing Booth to look at her. "I have almost never kissed you. I mean, you've nearly always been the one who kissed me, you initiated it, and I would break it off. The last time it happened, I told you I'm not a gambler and I didn't want to take a chance on being with you. And I think Sweets was right."

"About what?" Booth asked desperately.

"About why I was afraid. I have what he called abandonment issues," Brennan said with a shrug, trying to sound casual but acutely aware of the fact that tears were stinging her eyes. "I am accustomed to being left behind, thrown around. I'm not used to people staying. I'm just—I'm not."

Seeing the emotion that was threatening to overwhelm her, Booth reached out an arm and pulled Brennan into a hug. "You've said to me before that you don't believe in absolutes," he said quietly. "But you've contradicted that at least more than once. Remember that case I got pulled off of because I happened to be a suspect?"

"It would be a hard one to forget," Brennan sniffed.

"And you had to work with that other FBI agent. You told me you never wanted to work with anyone else from the FBI again besides me. You told me you only wanted to be my partner." He pulled back to look Brennan in the eye, to make sure she was unequivocally aware of every ounce of his sincerity. "That confidence shouldn't have to stay restricted to our jobs, Bones. This thing between us, it's not going to go away. We've tried resisting it, and it's futile."

A loud cheering noise came from those watching the game in the living room, startling Booth and Brennan. They had nearly forgotten they weren't alone, that they were in someone else's home. Booth was about to suggest they move outside when Brennan tugged on his collar and pulled him into a kiss. It was completely chaste, and Brennan forced herself not think, just to feel.

What is the human experience? What sets us apart, whether we like it or not, from other species?

Kissing Booth made her feel safe. Being in his arms made her feel protected, even if she could take care of herself. He could protect her in more ways than just physically. In the time they had spent working together, she had already learned so much from him about human interactions. She had seen everything she had missed out on by putting people off at arm's length.

They broke off the kiss relatively quickly, wary of the fact that other people could turn at any moment and see them. "Now see, I really enjoyed that," Brennan mused.

Booth felt his heart sinking at her tone. "But?" he asked breathlessly, refusing to let go of her.

She shook her head. "No 'but.' I'd like to kiss you again. A lot, I think." She smiled encouragingly at him and wrapped her arms tighter around his waist. "What I have to learn to accept is that you are what Angela might call a complete package: I can't just have your lips. You want a lot more than that. If you're willing to be patient with me, I can learn to be more patient with you."

"Meaning…"

"I'd like to test a hypothesis. I think a real date would be in order. You know, where both parties are aware that things have gone beyond flirtation or basic sexual attraction. Booth, I think you would make an ideal life partner. We just need to run an experiment to see if you'd be ideal for me." His expression was a bit harder to read now, cuing her to add, "I know you'll give it everything you've got, because you always give a hundred percent of yourself to things that are important to you. Sometimes even to things that aren't that important to you! Running away and giving up isn't your..." She fumbled for the right word. "Style."

Their flow was interrupted once again, this time by the nearby door swinging open and admitting Jane and Maura, who were walking hand-in-hand. Nodding at Booth, Jane asked, "What the hell, man? This is Thanksgiving; guests don't clean up. Have you even eaten dessert yet?" She gasped upon seeing that pies had already been put out and much of them gone. "How come nobody called us for dessert?"

"You mean aside from the fact that we had no idea where you were?" Booth asked with a grin.

"Shut up, man."

"You two shouldn't be in here," Maura said, pulling the towel off Booth's shoulder and tossing it onto the counter. "Let me do that."

"No, no, Dr. Isles," Brennan said, giving her a light tap on the shoulder and handing the dish towel back to Booth. "Allow us. It's the least we can do after you so graciously invited us over for the holiday last-minute. You and Detective Rizzoli try some of the pies. They're quite delicious. And when you're done…" She laughed and put an arm around Booth. "I'll wash, he'll dry."

A/N: I would have very little qualms about stopping now, to be honest. If more resolution is requested, I could add another chapter and possibly an epilogue- more closure, and solving the case! (I guess that's the one thread that hasn't been finished, although let's be real, cases are never the reason any of us reads fanfiction. Or watches the shows, for that matter, haha.)