I am so so sorry that it's taken so long for me to update! This is gonna be the final chapter for this story, and I definitely plan on writing another one pronto!

Even the best fall down sometimes, even the stars refuse to shine. Out of the back you fall in time, I somehow find, you and I, collide.

The insistent beeping of Maura's alarm clock the next morning roused both girls from their dreams the next morning.

"Oh my God, Maura, what time is it?" Jane asked, wiping the sleep from her eyes while Maura flipped off the alarm.

"5:30," Maura responded, sitting herself up and pulling the blankets up over her shoulders.

"WHY?!" Jane questioned, flopping herself back onto her pillow dramatically and pulling the blankets up over her head. Maura sighed and lay back down next to Jane.

"Because we have to go to work," Maura responded logically. Jane pulled the blankets off of her head and quirked an eyebrow at the woman next to her.

"Or do we?" she said, moving closer to Maura.

"Yes, we do. I took an-" Maura was cut off abruptly as Jane ran her fingers teasingly along her sides. "Oh… I get it," she said, blushing. Jane smiled at her and kissed her lips sweetly before Maura pulled back. "As much as I'd love to stay in bed with you all day, we really do have to go to work."

Jane pouted, rolling back to her side of the bed. "Fine, but I'm sleeping until at least 6:30." She said pointedly.

Maura shrugged. "Okay, I'm gonna go get in the shower then," she said, slipping out from beneath the sheets, goose bumps prickling her body as air hit her newly exposed skin. Jane bit her lip as she watched Maura move across the bedroom and out the door.

"Hey, wait up!" she called, suddenly not so tired anymore.

Two hours and lots of coffee later, the two women entered the police station. Jane's hand rested lightly on Maura's lower back and Maura wore a mega-watt smile that could be seen from space. They expected everyone around them to gape, to stop what they were doing and stare, but as they entered the station, not a single person seemed to notice the change. Not the security guard, not a single one of the uniforms milling around the lobby, no one seemed to realize. Jane cast a questioning glance at Maura before shrugging and leading her into the café.

"Hey ma!" Jane said, waving to her mother, who was stationed behind the counter. Jane's other long arm snaked its way around Maura's waist, and Maura blushed ferociously and lowered her eyes. She never expected Jane to be so open with their newly established relationship.

Angela made her way around the counter to greet her daughter and Maura. "Hi baby!" she said, kissing Jane on the cheek, then Maura. "I'll get you guys some coffee," she said, bustling back around the counter toward where the cups were stashed.

The two girls approached the counter, Jane removing her arm from Maura's waist in favor of interlacing their fingers. "Hey, ma, can I talk to you about something real quick?" Jane decided she wasn't wasting any time with telling people Maura was hers, and that included her mother.

"Sure, what is it?" Angela said. "Is everything okay?" She lowered her voice as she turned back to Jane and Maura.

"Better than okay, actually. I just wanted to tell you first that Maura and I are together." Jane said, flinching slightly, bracing herself for her mother's reaction. She knew it would be okay, because there was nothing Angela loved more than her children, but she also knew her mother could be very vocal when she was excited or less than pleased.

Angela smiled, "Oh, honey, that's great," she said, handing the girls their coffees. Jane quirked an eyebrow.

"Really? That's all you have to say?" Jane asked, dumbfounded.

"Oh, don't think this is an excuse for not giving me grandbabies," Angela adds, winking at Maura. Jane rolls her eyes.

"Well that was better than I thought it would be," Jane murmured to Maura. Maura just shrugged. Unlike Jane, she has a feeling Angela knew about their feelings long before the two of them admitted it.

"You know, this doesn't really feel as different as I thought it would," Jane said to Maura as they approached the elevators.

"Maybe that's because it's not really any different. Except for this," Maura said, smiling softly before pressing a soft kiss to Jane's lips. It was quick and chaste, but still so loving.

Jane smiled. "I love you."

"I love you too," Maura said, stepping toward her separate elevator. The two kept their eye contact as they entered their respective elevators and pressed the buttons. "I'll see you in a bit, Jane."

"Bye, Maur," Jane said as the elevator doors slid closed. Jane leaned back against the cool metal wall, her ears picking up on the quiet music coming from the elevator speakers.

Even the best fall down sometimes, even the wrong words seem to rhyme. Out of the doubt that fills my mind, I finally find, you and I collide.