Disclaimer: As ever I own none of these lovely characters. I make no profit on them, just borrowing them.

I really haven't forgotten my other stories, I promise.

Hope you enjoy...

"Maurrrr. Plllllleeeeeaaaassssseeee."

God my voice must be annoying when I whine. I know that I am whining but I am tired and she promised me alcohol and a cheeseburger at The Dirty Robber. I have spent the last 68 hours investigating the homicide of a married housewife. She had been suffocated to death, then bathed, then raped and staged to look like she was sleeping. Which is exactly what her three year-old daughter had thought when she went to try and wake her mommy up. The child had been drugged, she hadn't heard any of her mother's ordeal thankfully, but seeing her mother like that must have been awful. The case had taken its toll on all of us; me, Maura, Korsak and Frost. It had been me in the end who had pieced together the case, from the clues that we all found along the way. As ever I had gone to investigate a hunch that I had and Frost and Korsak had come in, just at the right time to save me. Still, we had caught the bastard and that in my book meant I deserved as much Anti-Hero IPA as I could physically drink. That and the juicy goodness of a burger topped with blue cheese. And fries. Mountains and mountains of fries. Oh, and a pickle, maybe three. Oh yes, I deserved that for my Friday night, I had earned it. I just hadn't expected the turn my night would take.

The thing was, was that as ever I had raced through my report, hating paperwork because who in their right minds would enjoy the actual writing up of our cases? As such, I was now sitting on the table in the morgue, Maura had already told me five times to get down and I was secretly enjoying goading her, what can I say, she was like that kid at school that you picked on in the playground because you liked them. So there I was, sitting on her table, kicking my legs in the air, huffing impatiently because I wanted to go drink beer with the boys and she was stillllllllllllll writing her report.

"Oh God Maur, please, do you want me to help you? Or can I at least meet you there? The guys will have already had like a million beers before we get there and I wanna go..."

I whined. I couldn't help it. I really wanted to go.

"Jane, you really shouldn't sit on there. I never want you on my table."

"Yes but I am alive, ah ha ha."

I hopped down from the table and put my arms out in front of me, deepening my voice further and moving slowly but jerkily, mimicking the many Frankenstein movies I had seen as a child.

"So you are calling me Doctor Frankenstein, is that right? That isn't going to make me go any quicker Detective."

"Oh Jeez Maur, I was kidding. You are in no way like Doctor Frankenstein. I mean he worked on the dead... and... oh."

I looked over to Maura, suddenly really aware that I may have offended the good doctor and my best friend. I chewed my thumbnail and tried to smile, as if that would dissipate the tension. And then I heard it, that wonderfully rich sound of her laughter.

"Relax Jane, I was just pulling your hair."

I exhaled the breath I didn't know I was holding.

"Phew. And it's chain Maura. Pulling my hair is something totttttttttttally different."

At least for me it was.

"Ok, well that's me, I am all done. Are you ready?"

"Are you kidding? I have been ready for the last" I checked my watch in exasperation at this gorgeous woman. Wait. What? "47 minutes. Yes. I'm ready. Let's go! I'm staaaaarving."

I waited for her to collect her Mary Poppins handbag and I moved to the heavy door and pushed it open for her, following the motion with my free hand to usher her through.

"Madam..."

She turned her head to me and smiled that cute smile that she does. Seriously? What?

"Why thank you Jane. Who said chivalry is dead?"

I tried to shrug off her comments and sought my brain for a witty retort, but nothing came to me, which was unusual, but then Maura deserved to have doors held open for her and flowers bought for her and... Man I needed a beer. A beer would help clear this funk.

We walked to my car, she knew that I hated her driving, plus we tended to leave my car at the Robber and then we'd get a cab back to Maur's and she'd drop me off at some point to collect my vehicle. I never asked myself why we always did this, why it was unspoken and why it always felt so damned natural. I think I just needed to get laid. I had been thinking some weird stuff recently and I think that I just needed some sex. That would help. Maybe.

So there we were, the four of us at the Robber, drinking, eating, laughing, regaling stories and being damned grateful that we were alive and that we had caught another psycho, the streets of Boston were safe for a few hours at least.

I was enjoying the banter and after my fourth beer I was feeling pretty relaxed. A slight buzz had taken over my body and I was very aware of Maura's bare leg pressing against my trousers. We often, no, we always sat so closely together, but today, I didn't know whether it was just the leftover adrenaline from the takedown earlier or what, but I was hyper aware of everything. And the touch of her soft skin next to mine was practically scorching me. It was driving me mad. She was driving me crazy and I didn't know why. Or at least I was starting to understand why and I couldn't decide if it scared the shit out of me or if it just felt like coming home.

"Look guys, I'm tired, I think I'm going to call it a night. Maura, are you ready?"

Her face had fallen momentarily and I felt guilty for taking her away from the team and our celebration, but I had to get away, to go somewhere where I couldn't feel the contours of her body pressed up next to mine.

An image suddenly flashed in front of my mind. Maura was naked, beneath me, her honey blonde hair billowing on the pillow, sweat gleaning on her upper lip, my hands on the softness of her beautiful stomach and my mouth buried deep, deep in her...

"Jane? Are you ok? You look flush all of a sudden."

"What? Oh, no, I'm fine, fine. Can we just go?"

"Of course."

What in the hell was that and where did it come from? Why was I picturing Maura naked and why was I doing that to her... down there?

And so now here we were, at her house, watching a ball game as she was curled into my side and I could swear, swear that I heard her murmur my name and giggle.

Yeah, I definitely needed to get laid.

As if she had heard me, Maura wriggled and moved, her head now resting in my lap. Jesus, the woman was trying to kill me. How on earth had I missed this? How had I failed to see? I was a Detective for christ's sake, and I failed to see that I was head over heels for my best friend; my very straight best friend.

I pulled at my beer I was really starting to feel the effects of it and the earlier ones at the Robber. I must have shifted my position because Maura had woken up.

"Jane?"

My hands had gone to her hair and my fingertips had gently caressed it.

"I'm sorry sweetie, did I wake you?"

"It's ok. We should probably go to bed."

"Don't you think it's weird?"

"Think what's weird?"

"Us. This. Us being so close. We do everything together. We eat together, jog together, sleep together."

I could see her face, appraising me, searching my features for an indication of where this had come from.

"I mean, it's like we're dating."

"No it isn't."

"What do you mean it isn't?"

"I always have sex with my dates Jane, and to the best of my knowledge, you and I have never had sex."

And then she did that double blink that she does. Innocent and yet loaded all at once.

"So you always put out on the first date?"

"Mostly Jane, yes. I told you, sex boost Immunoglobulin A. Have you ever known me catch a cold?"

"What? Wait? No."

It must have been the booze that gave me the confidence to say my next words. Or maybe just my God given swagger. Or maybe it was just about time.

"Would you?"

"I'm sorry? I don't understand."

"Would you date me?"

"I thought I wasn't your type."

"Maura, I'm being serious. Would you, you know, ever?..."

"If I thought for a second that you wouldn't run a mile Jane, yes. Without question. You are everything I would ever want in partner. Honourable. Kind. Funny. Loyal. Protective. And your musculature is incredible."

And then I had done it. I had just acted on impulse, like I always did. I had pulled her face to mine and captured her lips in probably the sweetest kiss I had ever experienced. It was slow, tender, yet passionate. It had grown in ferocity until I had pulled away for fear of suffocating.

"So how about it Doc, do you fancy going on a date with me."

And those eyes, those gorgeous hazel eyes. She had looked at me and within seconds completely floored me.

"As we've been dating for years Detective, I think we should move straight to the sex..."

And who was I to argue...

Hmm, now should I write the, well, you know?