Author's Notes: Gather round, children, for I have another yarn for you. (Although children probably should not read this LOL.)

This story will be an interesting experiment for me. Instead of writing super far ahead like I usually do, I'm going to put this one up as I complete chapters for it. I've got it all planned out, but not actually written. That means the update speed will be variable, but hopefully not unreasonably slow. We'll see how this works out. I've got a lot going on in my brain and in my life, and I'm hoping this fic will be therapeutic.

Anyway, this fic is a direct sequel to "In Your Absence." It is highly recommended that you read that one first, otherwise you will be a little confused about this one.

Here we go.

Chapter One

Jane sat reclined in her chair with her booted feet up on the desk, contemplating the ring she'd bought for Maura.

She'd had it for a while, nearly a year now. Purchasing it had been one of the first things she'd done after returning from Quantico. No one else knew about it, but it warmed her to look at the ring. It was her secret pleasure to take it out and twirl it between her fingers, tracing its perfectly round shape and smoothing the pads of her fingers over its surface. She liked to imagine what it would feel like to run her fingers along it once it was in its rightful place on Maura's left hand.

It was a simple ring, nothing extravagant. She couldn't afford much, and she knew Maura wouldn't want a huge, fancy ring anyway. All she would care about is the sentiment behind the ring, and about the fact that Jane had been the one to give it to her.

But she hadn't given it to Maura yet, and that was what Jane was thinking about now. Because she knew deep in her heart that the time had come at last. She was finally ready. The perfect opportunity was coming up this weekend, and she fully intended to take advantage of it.

She tucked the ring into her palm and closed it tightly in her fist, feeling it dig into her skin. Then she looked up at the sound of the front door opening. Tommy had returned from his stake-out.

"How'd it go?" she asked, watching as he went to his own desk and plopped down behind it.

"You were right," he replied. "He's cheating."

"You owe me five bucks. Did you get the pics?"

"Yeah, I got 'em." As he spoke he plugged his camera in to his computer to begin uploading the pictures in question. "You'll have 'em in a sec."

Affection washed through Jane as she watched him work. Tommy had come such a long way in the last couple of years, and these last few months in particular. After a lot of hard work and diligence, he had obtained his Private Investigator's license and begun working with Jane full-time at the agency. Though he'd had a few stumbles in the beginning, now he was far more confident in his detective skills and was loving the job. He even seemed to enjoy the long, boring hours of sitting in a car outside a building waiting for a glimpse of a subject.

Jane was proud of the agency she'd created. She had named it Rizzoli Investigations, which was simple and unimaginative but Jane figured that most of her business was going to be generated through name recognition so it was good to put it out there. As a detective in the Boston Police Department she'd had a lot more than the usual fifteen minutes of fame, and anyone looking to hire a PI in the city of Boston would see her credentials simply by doing a quick internet search of her name. It seemed to be working well, as she'd had a steady stream of clients ever since her doors had opened, and in the thirty or so cases she'd taken on since starting she'd been able to close every single one. Suffice to say, her Yelp reviews were stellar .

Having Tommy was a tremendous help because now she could delegate some of the long, tedious stake-outs to him instead of having to do them all herself. Everyone in the family fought for the privilege of watching TJ on those occasions. TJ idolized his father and was avidly interested in his new career path, and Jane loved to see the way Tommy puffed up with pride every time TJ gushed about how cool his job was. She could picture hiring TJ on when he became a teenager, maybe just part-time to do some clerical work. After all, this was a family business.

The office itself was located in downtown Boston, not far from the police station. It was small - too small, maybe. There were only two rooms: A waiting area, and the office. Both Tommy and Jane kept their desks in the office, which Tommy complained about endlessly. He insisted that there was no reason to have a waiting area when there was rarely more than one client in the office at a time. But Jane wanted to dream big. She could picture the waiting area filled with people who wanted them to track down a long-lost family member, or find out who stole a priceless painting out of their living room, or figure out why their spouses weren't coming home until well after midnight.

It wasn't glamorous work, but it was satisfying and Jane enjoyed it immensely. She liked being her own boss, picking her own cases, and working those cases her own way. And she liked sharing the work with Tommy, who was clearly getting the same fulfillment out of it.

An email popped up in her inbox and she opened it, examining the pictures that Tommy had just forwarded. There was no doubt about it, the guy was having an affair. Tommy had even managed to get a picture of the cheater and his mistress kissing - what they referred to in the biz as "the money shot."

"Damn, Tommy, good work. These are perfect," she said, letting out a low whistle of appreciation.

Tommy crossed the room to hand her the five dollars he owed her for losing their bet. She winked as she reached out to take it, but when she saw the expression on his face she realized belatedly that she was still holding the ring in her hand. "Is that what I think it is?" he asked, his eyes dancing with excitement.

Not even bothering to hold back her grin, she replied, "Yeah."

"Holy shit, Jane! Are you serious?"

"Very."

"When did you get that?"

Jane gave an embarrassed laugh. "About a month after I came back to Boston."

"Dude, why haven't you proposed yet?"

"Timing wasn't right." She shrugged, dropping her gaze bashfully. "Besides, we're basically like a married couple already. We've been together for over a year, we live together, we're out to both our families, and we're completely committed to our future together. This is really not that big a deal."

"Not a big deal?" repeated Tommy incredulously. "Jane, you bought Maura an engagement ring!"

"I am aware of that, yes," said Jane drolly, tapping the ring on the surface of her desk.

Instead of answering, Tommy gestured at the ring as if to say: "See?"

A smile returned to Jane's lips and she laughed again. "Okay, fine. It's a big deal." When Tommy whooped and came around the desk to hug her, she pushed him away playfully. "It's pretty wild," she admitted. "Never in my life did I imagine I'd ever have to propose to someone. I always thought I'd be the propose-ee. I mean, I have been proposed to before." By Casey, she added mentally, and she was determined that her proposal to Maura would be far more romantic and memorable than his had been to her. "It feels pretty crazy to be on the other side."

"I bet," said Tommy. "You hear about gay marriage and stuff but I guess I never really thought about the nuts and bolts of it. Who's gonna wear the pants at your wedding?"

Jane was about to hit him in the arm when she saw his shit-eating grin and knew he was kidding. She decided to play along instead. "Me," she replied. "I don't wear dresses. And I hope you like destination weddings, because Maura once told me that she wants to get married above a volcano."

"Yikes. That sounds expensive."

"Yeah, well, I gotta let her do it since she's already had to compromise on her spouse. She wanted to marry some dead guy who invented the autopsy hundreds of years ago. She's settling for me as a close second."

Tommy snorted. "Oh, please. Maura would choose you over some stuffy dead scientist any day."

"Um, thanks I think?"

"You're welcome." He reached over and took the ring from her fingers, examining it closely. Then he handed it back to her. "When are you gonna do it?"

"This weekend at the conference."

Grinning mischievously, Tommy said, "Bet you five bucks she says yes."

"I'm gonna pass on that one, Tommy," said Jane as she began gathering her things to go home. "There's no way you're gonna lose that bet. Now if you'll excuse me, my future wife is making ravioli tonight and I'm starving."

The drive from her office to the house in Beacon Hill she now shared with Maura took her about half an hour. She used the time to return to her musings about the upcoming proposal and think about what she might say. But every time she tried to come up with the right words, they escaped her. The truth was that she had never been a planner, not when it came to stuff like this. It didn't help that she'd never been very good at talking about her feelings. A little over a year ago she had spent an entire week composing a letter to Maura which detailed her feelings for her, but she hadn't felt quite that eloquent since. Of course it was easy to tell Maura how much she loved her, but that was because it was such an essential truth that the words seemed to come without effort. But a marriage proposal should be more, shouldn't it? It should be poetry and flowers and chocolate and music and fireworks and all that other romantic bullshit that usually made Jane wince.

She sighed as she pulled the car into the driveway, knowing that not a single bit of headway had been made. As usual, she would just have to wing it and hope Maura liked it. So far her instincts had never failed her in that respect, and she'd have to hope they held fast.

The door was unlocked and as soon as she pushed it open she could hear that the radio was playing a classic rock song. Maura must be listening to it as she cooked. Jane was about to call out to her but snapped her mouth shut when she rounded the corner and found Maura dancing in the kitchen. Her back was to Jane and she was using a rolling pin on a large slab of dough on the counter. She was wearing an apron, her hair was pulled back in a haphazard ponytail, and she was swinging her hips to the beat as she worked.

Jane's mouth went dry. No amount of time with Maura would ever stop her knees from turning to jelly at just how sexy she was without even trying. Heat rushed through her and her fingertips itched to touch. She dropped her bag on the floor and approached Maura from behind, resting her palms on those swinging hips. When Maura stopped moving and started to turn, Jane held her in place. "Keep going," she murmured into Maura's ear, making her smile at Jane over her shoulder.

Obediently, she resumed her dancing, her movements slower and more sultry. "This does it for you, huh?" commented Maura casually as she ground her backside against Jane's pelvis. "Kind of neanderthalic, don't you think? To be attracted to something that someone is waving in front of your face? I thought you had higher brain function than that."

Distracted by Maura's movements, Jane said, "Huh?" Even through her aroused fog she managed to catch Maura's laugh, and in return she dipped down to nip lightly on her earlobe. At the same time she slid her hands forward on Maura's body, worming them under the apron to rest on the button of Maura's pants. "Were you saying something?" she murmured.

"Never mind," gasped Maura as Jane deftly undid the clasp and slid her hands down the front of her panties. "Jane…"

"Shh," Jane interrupted her, her fingers now making determined and focused strokes against Maura's clit. "Less talking. More sexing."

"But Jane…" Maura bit back a groan and braced herself against the countertop, spreading her legs wider for Jane. She forgot all about why she was protesting and turned her head to meet Jane's lips instead, leaning father back against the warm, familiar body behind her. "Faster, Jane," she panted, reaching back to squeeze Jane's thigh in encouragement.

Jane loved it when Maura made requests like that. She complied at once, increasing her tempo and soaking in the way it made Maura's breathing reduce to sharp gasps and moans. Her heart was pounding in her ears, all her attention focused on the woman in her arms - particularly the wet warmth beneath her fingers. Maura was close, she could tell. Any second now would come that magical moment when her lover's body would tense and then release, a sexy moan dropping from her lips as she did. Yes, any second now…

"Hey guys! We're here!"

Jane quickly withdrew her hand and jumped away from Maura just in time to see Frankie and a heavily pregnant Nina rounding the corner. It was as though her entire body had been submerged in ice water and then set on fire as embarrassment rushed through her. Looking at Maura, she was annoyed to see the suppressed laughter written all over her face. "That's what I was trying to tell you," Maura said out of the corner of her mouth, then turned to greet their guests, grateful that the apron was hiding the fact that her pants were still unbuttoned.

"Not cool," grumbled Jane. She excused herself to the restroom to wash her hands and collect herself before facing her brother and sister-in-law. The worst thing, she decided, was that she hadn't even gotten to make Maura come before they were so rudely interrupted.

When she rejoined the group Nina smirked at her. Yes, she knew exactly what she'd interrupted. Jane stuck her tongue out at her. "You couldn't have been like 60 seconds late?" she asked in a low voice so Frankie wouldn't hear. "Your timing was super inconvenient."

"Sorry, girl," said Nina sympathetically, munching on some peanuts as she sat at the counter, "but when this baby is hungry, she waits for no woman." Nina was nine months pregnant and looked fit to pop any day now. Everyone in the family was excited to welcome their newest member, especially since they'd missed out on so many years of spoiling TJ rotten.

"Do you think Frankie knows?"

"Absolutely not. He's still here talking to Maura, isn't he? There's no way he'd be able to do that if he knew." She laughed. "Can you even imagine? I love the guy to death, but he'd be so awkward about it."

As far as Jane could tell, Nina was right. Frankie was perfectly normal all throughout dinner. They talked and laughed as they sat around the table. Maura and Frankie told Jane and Nina about their most recent murder, which Nina missed out on because she had started her maternity leave at the beginning of that week. Her due date was right around the corner and finally even sitting at a desk had become too much for her.

It was nice to hear the stories about the police work, but Jane found she didn't miss it at all. Being a detective at BPD meant being subject to long hours and significant danger, and also dealing with precinct politics that she'd never had the patience for. She was happy in her new job as a PI.

It was a good thing Jane had more leeway in her life, too, because Maura was gradually taking on a new role as well. Her first novel had been published a few months ago, and ever since then their lives had been a whirlwind of publicity. The critics had gone crazy over the book, absolutely showering it with praise. The reviewer from The New York Times had written: "Newcomer Dr. Maura Isles's Forensic Instinct has the makings of not only a promising new mystery series, but of an entirely different type of mystery novel altogether. By focusing on the often flawed science behind the investigation, Dr. Isles forces us to question everything we thought we knew about solving crimes. She is a fresh perspective and a voice we certainly hope to hear more from in the future."

The book became an instant bestseller. After just a month of being available in stores, it had spread like wildfire. Jane would never forget the first time they'd seen a stranger reading the book in public. She and Maura had been running in the park when Maura had stopped dead.

"What's wrong?" Jane had asked.

For answer, Maura had simply pointed to a woman on a park bench. She was sitting quietly reading Maura's novel.

That night they had celebrated. Jane had taken Maura to a fancy restaurant where they spent too much money on wine, then stumbled home and made love for hours before passing out. It was the only way Jane could think of to express just how proud she was of Maura.

After that day things had only gotten crazier for Maura. Requests for her presence at readings and speaking events had come pouring in. She'd had no choice but to hire a publicist to coordinate everything because it was too difficult to manage it all and still maintain her work schedule. Maura was even considering stepping down as Chief Medical Examiner to write full-time if this kept up, but she didn't want to do it until she was absolutely sure it was what she wanted. Jane promised to support her no matter what she decided to do.

And Jane was doing her best to support her through all the chaos, too. She attended as many of the events as she could. In truth she loved attending the events because it was nice to hear people compliment Maura for hours at a time. If anyone deserved compliments, it was Dr. Maura Isles.

As they were having dessert, Maura's cell phone rang. She glanced at the screen and said, "I'm so sorry, but I have to take this. It's my publicist. He's probably calling about the conference."

"You're fine," Frankie assured her. Once she had answered and walked out of the room, he turned to Jane and hissed: "Tommy texted me. Good luck this weekend, even though I know you won't need it."

"My god," said Jane, exasperated. "Doesn't anyone in this family care about privacy?"

"Nope," said Frankie.

"Nuh uh," added Nina.

Jane rolled her eyes. "Well, thanks I guess. You're right though. She's going to say yes."

"How are you gonna do it?" asked Nina excitedly. "In the middle of the conference? Public proposals are so sweet!"

But Jane shook her head vehemently. "Hell no. Her life is public enough these days. I don't have the details nailed down yet, but I know it'll be in private at least."

"You don't have anything planned, do you?" said Frankie suspiciously.

"Not really, no," admitted Jane. "But it'll be fine."

"I didn't think of how I wanted to do mine until the last minute either," said Frankie, "and it worked out okay. Right babe?"

Nina smiled sweetly at him. "Right."

Maura returned to the room and resumed her seat beside Jane, who reached over to take her hand. "Everything okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, everything's fine," Maura assured her. "He just wanted to make sure I was all prepared with my acceptance speech. I still can't believe they're giving me this award."

"It's well-deserved," Jane said. "I read the book of the guy who won it the year I went with you to to the Mystery Writers' Conference and yours was way better."

"Wasn't that the year you had that ghost murder case?" said Nina.

"Yeah. Maura dragged me to the conference with her and we watched Bud Butler accept the Book of the Year award. I was curious about it so I read it. I figured out who the murderer was in like two chapters. It was pretty much your average murder mystery. But your book is entirely different, Maura. Not only was your case a lot more complicated, but you presented it in an inventive way. Trust me, you deserve the award."

Completely flattered and smitten, Maura smiled at Jane before leaning over to kiss her lightly. "Thank you. Are you sure you're not just saying that because you love me?"

Shrugging, Jane said, "Can't it be both?"