"Yeah?" Again, Jane blushed. It was starting to become chronic. "I had a good time. Thank you for letting me tag along. Maura," the hesitation was tense as the detective tried to figure out where to go next, "you always… you're the one who normally gives, between the two of us. You're the one who says that you're willing do or say or answer whatever I'm comfortable with so that whatever it is that I know is what I want to know. Don't look so shocked. I know what you're doing when you're doing it. I didn't make lead detective without reason." She waved her a hand to dismiss Maura's impending comment. "What you do; that you do that is a huge gift, you know? But, just once, I wish you'd let me at least have the chance to give you that much trust, respect, and care in return." An earnest, almost pleading expression filled Jane's eyes. "If there's something you want to know, ask me. I promise to be honest, and I will answer whatever you ask me honestly."

Maura listened easily at first, then with growing complexity of expression, scarcely breathing. When she set down her wine glass, it was quicker and with more of a thump than she had perhaps intended, though the wine did not spill. Both hands took refuge in her lap, folded atop her napkin for a moment. She breathed. Her breath caught. "I…" she began, then could go no further for a long moment. Finally she said, "Right now all I can think of is to answer your question. You asked me earlier, and I think you may have meant it to be rhetorical, but I have an answer. Yes. I want to keep doing things with you. That is to say, we've always done things together, but… I… I want to keep doing things with you on a regular basis, and you can think about that all you like, but now you know what I want, so let that enter into your thinking." She rubbed her hands together for a moment as if they were cold before letting one drift up to pick up her fork and cut a bite of eggplant. Before she took her bite, she added, "Jane, I do have some things I want to ask you, and some things I hope I'll be able to say, but I think we both need to eat dinner first. Is that okay?"

"Sure, Maura, whatever you need," Jane gave a small nod before picking up her fork again.

They spoke lightly over dinner. Among other topics, Maura recalled Frankie's glorious debut as Frank N. Furter and Maura's full intent to portray Janet, or perhaps Columbia, the next time she went. She was hooked. "I still can't believe I did that," she admitted with a bashful grin. "I hope you took pictures while I was onstage. Speaking of which, I have several of you and Frankie. He danced so well. Not with great skill, but with beautiful confidence. I guess that's a family trait. You have the same way about you, and yours is even more fascinating. I love watching you move. You know, at the gym, or just any time, really. I've often wondered whether you have any idea how…" She paused, glancing down at her half-eaten dinner, and took a breath. "Well, there we are. See, I do have a question. Do you know how appealing you are, or do you just not even realize the effect you have on people?" On me?

A dark eyebrow raised in consideration as Jane gave a moment to actually consider the question. "I don't really think about it, but I know it's there. Sometimes I even use it when I'm trying to get information for a case, but that's pretty rare. You know how much I hate to be thought of as 'just a girl' when I'm on the job. But, yes, I do know." She took a bite of her food to give her a moment more to think. "But I've spent most of my life trying to play it down. In my career, being attractive is not actually an asset. Plus," she sighed, "I haven't really had a reason to play it up for anyone. I don't want someone to start dating me because they think I'm going to be great arm candy for them. I want them to want to be with me because they like me – the bitchy parts and all. If I was with someone, I think I might actually play it up a little more if they liked it. I wouldn't mind being someone's arm candy from time-to-time if I knew that they weren't keeping me to be just that."

Maura giggled as she slid a hand across the table. "I'm glad you know that. You are gorgeous, but that wasn't what I meant. I really meant the overall effect of everything about you. Including your bitchiness," she added with another chuckle. "All of it. Everything. You're devastating, Jane, not just physically attractive. Not by a long shot." As if she hadn't said a word, the shorter woman went back to eating her eggplant parmesan. A moment later, she asked, "How were you feeling last night at the theater?"

Jane fumbled her fork. "Oh, ah," she cleared her throat and gently set down the utensil. "A lot of different things, really. When you first got here, I was distracted because I couldn't wait to see Frankie in that getup. Then, when we got to the theater, I was happy you came with us because I had good time watching you have a good time. By the time we made it back to the car afterwards, I realized I was," she chewed her bottom lip, torn about what exactly to say, "tired, and distracted in a different way. I was… God, Maura, you were too gorgeous for words, and I know I was staring. I'm not sorry about that. I was," she frowned and grunted in frustration at not being able to get the words out, "just… I was turned on."

Again, Maura took a deep breath and held it, but this time she would not look away from Jane. "And today?"

"Nervous and," despite the trepidation in her voice, Jane pressed on, "still turned on."

The breath she had been holding, Maura let go in slow, controlled exhalation. Her blink was slow, giving her time to think, but not much. She did not need much. "Jane?" Now both hands slipped onto the table. "I need you to know something before I ask you anything more. I need you to really, really know that you are my best friend. Always, Jane. Do you understand how strongly I mean that?"

Dark curls bounced slightly as Jane nodded her understanding.

Maura went on, seeming to have as much trouble with asking questions as Jane did with answering, but determined to press forward, stammering and becoming ever so slightly breathless with the hyperventilation that was threatening to occur. "Do you think… Do you feel, I mean, that we could be okay if… if we were to… be… closer?"

Without a word, the detective stood, gently taking Maura's hand and pulling her up to stand in front of her. "No, I don't mind."

"I meant…" Uncharacteristically, Maura bit her bottom lip even as she edged nearer, lacing their two hands together. "Well, actually, this is really nice."

"Yeah, it is." Jane smiled, eyes shimmering. "But what did you mean?" She pulled them closer until they were just barely touching.

Maura let out a quiet squeak from the back of her throat. "Closer," she repeated, the tiniest of questions inflecting the end of the word. "I want…" It took far longer than usual for her to formulate her thoughts into words, but eventually the words did come. She licked her lips. "When we argued, it was because I made a boundary. I thought it was supposed to be there, but I didn't want it. Jane… I don't want any more boundaries. I want you to have everything. Let me give you everything."

"Maura, whatever you need, all you have to do is ask," the taller woman's eyes flickered down before meeting the gaze of the other woman again. "In fact, you don't even have to do that." She smirked, "You have permission to touch me," the last of the statement was nothing more than a whisper, colored air, "everywhere."

Maura's eyes went nearly black with pupil dilation, and her skin heated so rapidly that she knew Jane would feel it even through both of their clothes. She swallowed, suddenly inarticulate. "You… I… Jane." She leaned in, and then there was a hand sliding around Jane's waist, pressing the small of her back, and another running up her spine and the nape of her neck and up into her hair, pulling her down as Maura's body attempted to meld with her, and there were soft lips kissing hard, breasts pressing together, bellies meeting, hips pushing.

Giving in to Maura's unspoken want, Jane wrapped her hands around Maura's waist, helping to pull them closer. She easily consented to the smaller woman's tugs and pulls as the kiss lengthened and deepened, and she showed no shame with the whimper that escaped her as the kiss finally broke. With an air of relief and look of desire, she breathed out the combination of what Maura had been saying just a moment before, "We. Us." She smiled.

"Jane?" Maura pleaded, using the leverage granted by her lower center of gravity to nudge backward, towards the bedroom. "Hush. Need… now… touch. Now."

"Whatever we need," came the husky reply as they moved through the open bedroom door, "yes."

Long after satiety had been reached, the pair lay in a lazy grapple, movements gone languid. One would wake, take a long moment to kiss a shoulder, stroke a hip, gaze onto a sleeping face, and fall back asleep. Sometimes both would wake, and there would be drink or food, and more lovemaking, now and then a shower, and then more lying down and togetherness. Sunday passed much the same way, barring walks with Jo Friday. On Sunday afternoon, the women took Jo Friday over to Maura's so that she could have access to her own closet and grooming supplies and she could give Bass's caregiver a day or two off. As they jointly prepared an early dinner, Maura noted, "You look like I feel right now."

"Oh, yeah?" Jane asked, snagging a piece of cheese before Maura could grate it. "How's that?"

Maura didn't even bother pretending to be upset that Jane had stolen the cheese, since she had sliced two thin pieces for each of them from the block she was using in the salad. "Like a woman who's been treated well by someone who knows how. I want to make you look like that every chance I get. Is that okay?"

"Sure," Jane stepped behind Maura, wrapping her arms around the smaller woman's waist as she placed her chin on the doctor's shoulder, "if I get to do the same for you. Things shouldn't be a one-way street in a relationship." She suddenly tensed. The teasing in her voice dropped as she squeaked out a weak, "Right?"

"Right," Maura replied, leaning back into Jane's body. Her eyes closed and hands stilled as she took a long moment to enjoy the warmth of all the places where their bodies touched. "Jane? Relax. I told you before." She did set down the cheese and grater, but kept her cheesy hands out to the sides as she turned within the circle of the taller woman's arms. "You have me. I give you my permission to touch me any time, any place, anywhere, in any way that you like. For the foreseeable future. Unless," she added after a too-short interruption for kissing Jane's jaw line, neck, and collarbone, "I'm performing an autopsy, in which case it would be best if you could wait until I put down the scalpel."

Jane's smile beamed. "Okay, but only because you told me, and you know how hard it is for me to tell you no." She stole a quick kiss before pulling back to go to the fridge. "I know you keep this in here for me," she pulled out a small container of heavy cream, "and I love this stuff, but did you know I'm lactose intolerant? I normally pop a pill before I come over just so I can drink it with my coffee." She pulled a glass down and poured. "I'm going to try to remember to tell you stuff like that." She poured the cream into her coffee, gave it a stir, and took an appreciative drink. "I like French Vanilla nondairy 'cream', though, for the record." She smirked. "Or, you know, yours…"

Thank you for reading. Reviews are always appreciated.