The shift was so slow that they didn't see it coming. Or, more exactly, they had time to get used to every little change.

At the very beginning, it started with a coffee from time to time. Then it morphed into sharing every lunch. Then shopping together. More like Jane following Maura through stores, complaining about her achy feet and how many stores they had already been in, when she was actually secretly thrilled to spend time with Maura.

A few months later, Hoyt came back and brought with him Jane's nightmares. That's when the sleepovers began, and the teasing, at first to relieve tension. "Are we having a sleepover or is this your way of telling me you're attracted to me ?" It quickly became part of their relationship.

Then Angela moved into the guest house, and Jane started to spend more and more time at Maura's. Sleepovers became routine. And at some point, and neither of them was sure when, Jane stopped knocking before coming in. She started to buy groceries to keep in Maura's kitchen. And the guest room gradually went unoccupied At first, they woke up next to each other once every two weeks or so. Then it became once a week. Then every morning.

At the same time, their love lives became emptier. They started to go on double dates, but then Casey happened. Not long after they started dating, Jane realized than she didn't spend as much time with Maura as she used to. It reminded her of the Paddy Doyle shooting, of how much it hurt to have Maura so close yet so far away, of how suffocated she felt when she believed that they were broken for good. She realized she simply couldn't live without the doctor in her life. Casey asked her to choose, and she did, the choice obvious. After that mess, there was no one. They didn't needed anyone but each other.

The touching became more obvious. What was once a hand on a back to guide her, became two hands on her hips to read the newspapers over her shoulder. What used to be hand holding during hard and emotional discussions became hand holding during a simple car ride to the BPD.

And the little kisses on the head during hard times one day became a quick peck on the lips before going to work, that day when Maura was sick. It wasn't forced or planned. It was natural, as if it was the next logical step in their relationship. Neither of them overthought it. And like everything, it became routine. A kiss before parting. Then one more before going to bed. Then a kiss good morning. A kiss in front of the coffee pot, or before leaving the morgue because she was standing there, and she was beautiful and it was… natural. Familiar. It felt good. It felt like home.

Then there was tonight. As they were cuddled up in front of the TV, Maura looked up at her, and everything fell into place. Only one thought was in Jane's mind: "I love her." She didn't panic, because it didn't even feel like a revelation. It was just something she already knew, but never put in words. So she just kissed her, again and again. At some point she carried her to the bedroom, their bedroom.

Jane stopped the patterns that her fingertips were tracing on her lover's back. "Maura, what are we doing?" A beat passed, and the doctor rolled on her back, and locked her eyes on Jane's. "I guess we're just being what we were meant to be." Jane smiled sweetly and gently kissed her. "You know I love you, right?" Maura kissed her again. "I know, Jane. I love you too."