Points go to DreamWriterDKS and Ilizlawson for catching the importance of the honey dust. It started out as just a feather, and the honey dust just kinda slipped itself into the story, somehow.

LOCISVU: You made me crack up laughing with your Kermit comment. Makes me want to find a pic of Kermit in a cape.

Vargas1989: Right now, it's January in their world. If October, and Halloween, end up showing up in the next story, then the costumes will make an appearance.

It was dark out when Jane woke up. Rolling over, she found a cold bed and a clock telling her it was past midnight. Stretching, she winced when her shoulders felt a little stiff. Rubbing her shoulder with one hand and yawning, she made her way through the house. Stopping by the kitchen, she grabbed a glass of water before sitting next to Maura on the couch.

Feeling Jane's head lean against her shoulder, Maura turned to kiss her forehead before setting her book to the side. "How are you feeling?"

Scooting closer, Jane almost wrapped herself around Maura. "Drained, but not really tired. I just want to be near you. How long have you been up?"

Smoothing the hair off Jane's face, Maura pulled her closer. "I woke up a couple hours ago, and came out here to read, instead of turning on a light and risking waking you. You needed to sleep, and that's normal. It's mentally draining to submit to someone else's will, even when it's done willingly. A submissive will commonly feel emotionally exhausted and vulnerable, making them crave physical contact and emotional reassurance. The chemicals released by the brain during power play can cause a feeling of withdrawal when they stop being secreted. If the change is sudden, then it can cause emotional damage. A good, responsible dominant knows that their responsibilities don't end when the power play does. They are still needed to make sure their submissive doesn't 'crash' from the sudden cessation of the chemicals. It's why I made you wake up to eat and drink some water. You'd feel worse than merely drained if you hadn't replaced some of the fluids and sugars expended. Just as important, if not more so, is just being there to provide the physical and emotional support their submissive needs after a scene. I'd be very surprised if you didn't feel drained and a need for contact."

Nodding into her neck, Jane pulled her legs up to lie across Maura's lap. "I think I understand. It sounds kinda like the aftermath of an adrenaline rush. If you don't take care of yourself before the crash, then you end up regretting it. But you didn't need any of that when I was in charge. Why didn't you tell me if I was doing something wrong?"

Pulling her face up to look at her, Maura placed a gentle kiss on her lips. "You didn't do anything wrong. You held me while we talked for almost an hour, then held me while we slept. When I woke up, you already had food ready for us to eat. I have experience submitting, so I knew what my body needed. You did everything instinctually, and you did everything right. You feel more drained and vulnerable because this is the first time you've experienced those chemicals in such high quantities. Your body and mind expended more energy than necessary to process the new situation, and rid your body of the excess chemicals. Over time, the sub-drop after a scene will be less intense, unless the scene itself is more intense than usual. It is much like the crash after an adrenaline rush, in that way. Your body learns to process the chemicals more efficiently, instead of trying to purge the excess as quickly as possible. Aftercare, which is what we've been talking about, gives the mind and body the time to come down more slowly, by creating a situation where the chemicals taper off gradually, instead of suddenly returning to normal levels."

Thinking for a moment, Jane nodded, but still looked slightly confused. "Ok, I guess that makes sense. I held you because I needed to, though. I cooked dinner because I knew we'd both be hungry. I didn't do anything different than I normally would, after sex. I just needed to take care of you, so I did."

Smiling, Maura rested her head against Jane's. "I know. You're always taking care of me. The same chemicals are released when you dominate someone else, the brain just processes the resulting feelings differently. While a submissive tends to feel vulnerable and in need of contact, a dominant tends to feel protective and nurturing. Right now, I need to hold you, almost as much as you need to be held."

Humming happily, Jane nuzzled into her neck. "That's good, because I don't I want to get up anytime soon. Can we just have a quite day of cuddling and talking? Maybe watch a movie?"

After a moment, Maura gave a half shrug. "The talking and cuddling we can do. The movie might be harder. The only movies I have here are documentaries, and most of them are medical or forensic in nature. I don't think seeing a surgery or autopsy performed would be very relaxing or romantic, for you."

Shuddering, Jane made a face. "Yeah, you thought right. You know, it's a good thing we're not at home. Sleeping all afternoon and waking up in the middle of the night isn't really good for work."

Laughing, Maura checked the time. "Actually, if we were home, we would've slept through the work day. We'd be getting home from work about this time, assuming there was no open case. Joe would be ready for her afternoon walk, and Angela would probably be wanting to help with dinner before we went out for midweek drinks. Bass would be waiting patiently for his evening meal."

Hearing the wistful tone of voice, Jane smiled. "Sounds like I'm not the only one who's a little homesick. I love it here, and I'll probably regret saying this, but I can't wait to get home. I miss Joe sleeping at our feet at night, seeing the guys at work, going to work. Hell, I even miss Ma's nagging and trying not to trip over Bass in the dark."

Leaning in for a kiss, Maura returned the smile. "I miss all that, too. This is the first time I've come here, and couldn't wait to leave. It was always my escape from the loneliness I felt at home, but now I have friends and family at home that I miss. Before, I just had Bass, and I'm not sure he ever really noticed that his food was coming from a different person."

Cupping one cheek, Jane kissed the other. "Now you have friends and family and a dog waiting for you at home. You never have to be lonely again. With Ma around, you might have trouble finding time just to be alone."

Eyes closing, Maura leaned into Jane's hand. "I've had enough of being alone, in my life. I spend most of my time, at work, relatively alone. I like that there are people around, when I go home. I haven't really felt lonely since we became friends, even when I was alone. It's hard to remember a time when, just knowing you existed, didn't make me feel loved. I knew, if I needed someone to talk to or just spend time with, all I had to do was call you."

Sighing, Jane smiled. "I love you, so much. I wish I could take away all the pain and loneliness from her past. I hate knowing there was a time when you were less than happy, but I'm glad I can be there for you, now. What do you think about us maybe starting to look at donors when we get home? I want you to have a family that you know loves you as much as you love them. I want to have a family with you, so you never feel lonely again."

Wiping away tears, Maura smiled back. "Jane, I already have all that. You gave me your family, remember? I don't doubt that they love me just as much as they love you, and I love them. You and Angela have helped my mother and I become closer than we've ever been. Don't think I didn't know that you both talked to her, even if I don't know what was said. How could I possibly feel lonely will so many people around that love me?"

Leaning in for a kiss, Jane wiped away her own tears. "You're making me cry. Do you think we could start really talking about having kids? I love you, and I want to start a family with you. I know we said we'd wait and give us more time just for us, but I think I'm ready to start a family. I want to hold our baby and know that they exist because we love each other so much we had no choice but to share it with someone else."

Swallowing passed a lump in her throat, Maura nodded. "I think I'm ready for that, too. Even with kids, we can take time for just us. I'm sure Angela won't mind watching them from time to time. Yes, we can start looking at donors when we get home. Just know, it may take several tries before it works. Just like with intercourse, pregnancy is not guaranteed on the first try. I did some research during the case involving the fertility clinic, and can take six months, or more, for pregnancy to occur, even with hormones to boost fertility. We have to prepare ourselves for the chance that the first few attempts may fail."

Thinking for a moment, Jane nodded. "I think I can be ok with that. After all, I wouldn't expect to get pregnant right away, if I were trying with a guy. I think, as long as I know it's still possible, I'll be ok. And, we can always adopt. As much as I'd love to see you pregnant with our child, all I really care about is that we love our kids. It doesn't really matter how we end up with them. So, we're really going to do this? We're going to start a family?"

Laughing, Maura smiled. "Yes, we're really going to start a family. Do you still want to wait until I become pregnant before telling anyone? We should probably start looking at houses, or talking to an architect, soon. I'll find the information for the architect I had design this house, and he can start working on the renovations we discussed. It'll be done before next year."

Jane shrugged. "Honestly, right now? I'm ready to tell the world. That'll probably change several times in the future, though. Why don't we just see how it goes? When Ma finds out, though, she's never going to shut up about it. She'll have the nursery decorated before we even know the sex. I think she's been wanting grandkids since I was born. Oh, and we are NOT naming our kids after anyone in my family. I don't care what Ma says about it being a family name, or tradition, or anything else she comes up with. We will pick our kids' names because WE like them."

Head tilted to the side, Maura thought for a moment before nodding. "I agree. We should choose names we like. After all, we will be calling them by whatever names we give them for at least eighteen years. I would prefer not to name them after my parents, either. Mother's name is rather old fashioned, and I don't have a close enough relationship with Father to feel obligated to honor him in such a way."

Looking shy, Jane played with the lock of Maura's hair in her hand. "Would it be possible for us to get home, early? I really do miss everyone. I love it here, but I'm ready to go home."

Thinking, Maura shrugged. "It's possible. I doubt we could have the charter plane here sooner, but we should be able to book a flight with an international airline. It would mean taking either a boat or a small plane to the mainland, and leaving from a larger airport. If you really want to, I can start making calls later. Instead of the straight flight we took to get here, we will probably have layovers and transfers to worry about. It will take longer, but it will get us home sooner. It would also give you a chance to see what first class is like."

Grinning, Jane leaned in to kiss her. "I absolutely love you. You really don't mind cutting our honeymoon short?"

Laughing, Maura shook her head. "No, I don't mind leaving early, but we'll still have several days before we return to work. We can just continue the rest of our honeymoon at home. It's still several hours before I can start making calls, do you want to start getting things packed now, or wait until we know what time we need to leave?"

Lips pursed, Jane thought. "Honestly, right now, I'm kinda hungry. We kinda slept right through dinner, and had sex instead of lunch. Whatever it was that you fed me while I was half asleep, has been digested."

Shrugging, Maura smiled. "It was mostly fruit and some juice. I wanted you to have some quick and easy sugar before you passed out completely. I had a small snack when I woke up, but that was a few hours ago, now. A real meal sounds like a good idea."

Several moments later, Maura rolled her eyes. "Jane, you do realize you're still sitting in my lap, right? You need to get up if you want me to cook."

Smiling sheepishly, Jane stood, helping Maura up. "Sorry. I guess I'm just used to you being the one sitting in my lap. Hey, what's gonna happen to the food we don't eat?"

Maura made her way into the kitchen, opening cupboards to decide what to make. "The maintenance on the house is handled by the vineyard. I let them know what I'm coming, and they send someone to clean and make sure everything is ready for my arrival. After I leave, someone comes to make sure everything is clean and get the house closed up. Any food, or other supplies, are theirs, if they want them. I assume anything they don't want is thrown out, or given to someone else. A couple times a year, someone comes out to check if anything needs repaired, and make sure no animals have managed to get inside."

Leaning against the counter, Jane watched Maura gather ingredients. "So, anything we don't eat won't just go to waste. That's good. Ma would throw a fit if I let that much food just get thrown out. I was going to suggest giving it to a church, or something. Is there even a church, here?"

It took a couple moments before Maura answered. "I think there's one near the town, but I'm not positive. I know there's not one on this side of the island. I wouldn't mind having one built, but no one's ever asked or shown an interest, at least not to me. I remember Maria mentioning attending a service, but that was quite a number of years ago. She might have even meant a church on the mainland."

Recognizing a dish she'd seen Maura make before, Jane got out a knife and started cutting the vegetables. They worked in a comfortable silence, Jane helping prepare ingredients and getting the table set, while Maura cooked and assembled the meal. As the smell of cooking food filled the room, both their stomachs growled. Laughing, they finished as quickly as possible, and sat down to eat. They both had seconds before they were full.

Clearing the table, Jane started on the dishes while Maura stood by ready to dry. Putting everything away, they stood looking at each other.

Finally, Jane shrugged. "Ok, now what? It's too early to make calls, we've eaten, and I'm not even a little bit tired. Should we go ahead and get everything packed?"

Checking the time, Maura thought before responding. "Actually, I think I'd like to take a bath, then watch the sunrise from the beach. Would you like to join me? Packing can wait. We didn't wear most of the clothing we brought, so it shouldn't take too long to repack."

Smiling, Jane went to start running a bath, waiting for Maura to join her. They relaxed, talking, until the water got cold and all the bubbles were gone. The sky was just beginning to lighten as they dried off. Sending Maura ahead of her, Jane stopped to pour them some wine.

Slipping onto the lounge chair behind her, Jane handed Maura her glass of wine. "I know it's early, but it's our last day here, and there was that open bottle from the other night. I figured we could finish it off, and toast the last sunrise of our honeymoon."

Leaning back against her, Maura smiled. "That sounds perfect."

They watched the sun rise as the island woke up around them. Eventually, Maura got up. They put the chairs and umbrella back in the shed, and went inside. Maura got out her phone to start making calls, and Jane decided to start packing.

Several minutes later, Maura joined Jane in the bedroom. "I was able to get us on an early flight. We'll have a transfer in Paris, and another in London, before flying back to the States. Then we'll have another transfer in Cleveland, and a layover in New York. The vineyard's plane will take us to the airport in a couple hours, so we should hurry."

Blinking, Jane stared at her for a moment. "We'll be in more major cities in one day, than I think I've seen in my life. Do you realize this is the first time I've used my passport, and it's going to be stamped in three different countries?"

Head tilted, Maura thought. "I hadn't really thought about it. Unfortunately, we won't be on the ground long enough to do any real sight seeing. We'll have several hours in Paris, but there won't be enough time to really leave the other airports. If you'd like, we can do some quick sight seeing Paris, as long as we stay near the airport."

Shrugging, Jane went back to packing. "Honestly, the only think I know about Paris is that the Eiffel Tower is there. If you want to show me something, then that's fine. Kinda sad we won't have time to see the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, though. That would be cool. Maybe we can go there some other time, for a weekend, or something."

Nodding, Maura started folding clothes and handing them to Jane to pack. "That's in Cleveland, right? We could take a weekend to go see it, if you'd like. Of course, it'll be awhile before we're able to get a weekend off. We really do need to finish packing though, we need to be at the airport in an hour if we're going to make it to the mainland in time."

Shoving things into the suitcases, Jane looked at Maura and shrugged. "It's not like you're not going to have everything cleaned when we get home, anyway. I know you, there's no way you'll let this stuff get packed away till summer without having it cleaned first, even if we didn't wear it."

Nodding, Maura decided not to argue, and started going through drawers to make sure nothing was forgotten. Finding a couple items, she added them to the pile on the bed, before starting a sweep of the bathroom and rest of the house. Coming back with the few things she'd found, she saw Jane sitting on the suitcase to hold it closed while she zipped it up.

Pointing to the end of the empty bed, Maura dropped her small armload next to Jane. "Did you pack the pile of clothes I left right there?"

Looking at her like she'd asked a stupid question, Jane nodded. "Yeah. It's in here, which is why I'm sitting on the suitcase. I don't think that stuff's gonna fit. Maybe if we move some things around in your suitcase, or something?"

Sighing, Maura closed her eyes, then opened them and smiled sweetly. "Jane, you packed all our clothing."

Still staring, Jane blinked. "Of course, I did. We don't want to leave anything behind."

Maura's smile turned into a smirk. "Jane, what are we going to wear to the airport?"

Looking her up and down, Jane's eyes widened and she hopped off the suitcase to open it. "I completely forgot we're naked. Shit. Ok, just give me a minute. And, uh, ignore the wrinkles."

Laughing, Maura watched as Jane yanked clothes out of the suitcase. They got dressed quickly, and finished packing. Loading the bags in the car, they started for the airport.

About halfway there, Jane had a thought. "Hey, I thought you said you don't own a private plane."

Turning her gaze from the road briefly, Maura looked at her. "I don't. The plane belongs to the vineyard. It's very small, and used mostly to shuttle people to and from the mainland. I believe it only seats four, but I've never flown in it, myself. It's not large enough to fly at the higher altitudes, or over longer distances. Reginald mostly uses it when he has business off the island, or to collect visitors for events."

Grinning, Jane held up a hand. "But, you own the vineyard. Therefore, you own the plane."

Rolling her eyes, Maura sighed. "WE own the vineyard. The plane belongs to the vineyard, which is why we can use the plane, now. Even if I felt the need to claim ownership of the plane, it would be rather pointless. It's simply not capable of flying over long distances, so it has to stay here. While we're on the island, we can use it to get back and forth to the mainland, but I doubt it can carry enough fuel to fly more than a couple hundred miles. It will be refueling before flying back."

Still grinning, Jane chuckled. "Doesn't matter how you say it, it still translates the same. WE own a private plane. I'm taking pictures of it."

Shaking her head, Maura just kept driving.

Pulling up to the airport, the car had barely stopped before Jane jumped out, phone in hand. "Ok, where's this plane? I want pictures so I can show everyone."

Laughing, Maura pointed over Jane's shoulder. "It's over there, but I doubt it's what you had in mind."

Turning, Jane's mouth dropped open. "But, that's tiny. I think I've seen buses bigger than that. How can I brag that I own a plane, if it looks like a wind-up toy?"

Laughing harder, Maura opened the truck and started getting bags out. "I told you it was small. Were you expecting something more like the one we chartered?"

Pouting, Jane nodded. "Well, yeah, kinda. That thing looks like it'll blow away in a strong wind. I don't want pictures anymore. The guys'll just make fun of me. I should've taken pictures of our charter plane. Now THAT was worth bragging about."

Rolling her eyes, Maura waited for Jane to help her carry the bags to the plane. The pilot met them part way and introduced himself. Taking one of the suitcases, he helped lift them into the small cargo area behind the seats. Handing them helmets, he explained that the headsets would allow them to talk over the noise of the engine.

Jane didn't stop pouting until they were in the air. Looking out the window, she realized the small plane let them see things a lot easier. She spent the rest of the flight pointing out everything that caught her interest, even taking her phone out to take pictures. When they landed, she insisted on posing for pictures with the plane, Maura, and the pilot. Maura had to eventually drag her away so they could check their bags and wait for their flight.

Once they boarded their flight, Jane started taking pictures of everything in first class. Maura finally took the phone away, putting it in her pocket, when the announcement to turn off all electronic devices came over the speakers. The short flight was spent listening to Jane's excitement over flying first class, and a running commentary of the view out the window.

Landing in Paris, they checked the status of their next flight before leaving the airport. Standing silently by, Jane listened to Maura talk to an employee in excited French. Smiling, she turned back and explained that there was a slight delay with their next flight, but that gave them enough time to do some sight seeing and grab a quick lunch.

Guiding her out of the airport, Maura hailed a cab and gave directions Jane couldn't understand. Pointing out some of the more famous landmarks, Maura took Jane on a quick driving tour of the city. Eventually, they stopped at a small café that let them see the Eiffel Tower in the distance. Jane had her ask the waiter to take their picture with the Eiffel Tower in the background, even if it was rather small. Laughing and smiling, they caught another cab after lunch, going past a few more landmarks on the way back to the airport.

Smiling, Maura pulled Jane to a stop before she could enter the airport. "We're in Paris, on our honeymoon. I want a kiss."

Laughing, Jane picked her up, spinning around before kissing her. "Was that good enough? I'm willing to try again, if it wasn't."

Pretending to think, Maura's lips quirked before she dragged Jane's head down to hers, kissing her hard. "That's better. Come on, we don't want to miss our flight. I'm ready to go home."

Laughing, Maura grabbed Jane's hand and dragged her into the airport.

Well, that's the end of this story. It's just kinda run it's course. I'm ready to write actual plot, again, without frequent smut-breaks. They're homesick, and I miss writing for everyone else.

I'm ending this story with the honeymoon, so people have the option to skip it, if they want. I know smut doesn't appeal to everyone, and this story is very smut-heavy. At least some of the conversations will be brought up again, but I'll try to make it easy to know what happened, even for people who choose to skip this story.

I just think having most of the series closer to the T side of the line, will work better. This story was good practice, and fun to write, though. I won't be abandoning sex scenes altogether, just not writing quite so MUCH smut into the next story. There kinda needs to be room for other stuff.

Also, the summary of this story is updated to reflect what actually ended up happening.

This story is 10 chapters, almost 28K words, and 64 document pages.

Sorry for the delay in updating. I wrote this chapter several days ago, but wanted to wait to post it until I had the first chapter of the next story written and ready to post. It's called, 'Let Them Be Little,' and starts right where this one left off. Oh, and will have them starting their family.