A one shot that came to me while surfing youtube. This is not part of the Alpha universe.
"Alright, whose turn is it to open the next gift?" Angela Rizzoli asked the group settled around her. She looked at everyone before her in turn before making the decision, since she had been named Santa. "Maura! How about you open one now?"
Maura looked to Angela, her smile lighting up her features. "Okay."
"Mine! Open mine Maura!," a voice from the back of the group called.
Jane had to hide the irritation on her face. Kelly Sanders. Why did she have to be here? She and Maura had broken up a few years prior, not long after Jane and Maura had first met. Somehow though Kelly had stayed in Maura's favor, even after the debacle of last year's Christmas festivities. Jane just couldn't understand why Maura always forgave the woman. Even now, after Jane and Maura had been together for almost a year, Kelly still made her way into the larger events of Maura's life.
Realizing too late that she should have put her foot down about Kelly attending Christmas morning with the Rizzoli clan she now how to sit and bare it. Maura's Doe eyes always did the trick, combined with Maura's argument that Kelly had no one in Boston to celebrate Christmas with.
Jane needed a beer and it was only 10:30 in the morning.
Coming back to scene unfolding before her she patiently waited for Maura to open the small box wrapped in plain white paper. Always meticulous about her actions meant that it took Maura a good five minutes to just get the paper off. When she finished removing the paper a box with a hinged lid sat in her lap. Jane had a feeling that it looked oddly familiar to her. Once Maura had slowly opened the box Jane knew exactly what it was, and inside she seethed.
"Sunglasses? I've needed a new pair of these for a while. Thank you Kelly, it's perfect."
"Put them on Maura," Kelly nodded towards the box with her head.
"I hardly think it's appropriate to put sunglasses on inside the house Kelly, you know that."
"Come on Maura," Kelly's face split into a wide grin, "just put them on for a minute."
Sighing in resignation Maura carefully picked the glasses up from the case they were resting in. She opened the arms and gently slid them on her face, immediately looking to Jane, whose face was emotionless. It wasn't Jane's face that caught her attention though, it was Jane's shirt. She immediately took them off and turned her head back towards Kelly.
"Kelly. What are these? Wha-?" Maura was speechless.
"Try em again Maura. Look around this time. Test em out."
With trembling hands Maura put the glasses back on and looked towards the Christmas tree. She couldn't keep the gasp from escaping her mouth, nor the immediate rush of tears from sliding down her cheeks.
"Maura? What's wrong honey?" Angela was getting worried. She didn't know what was going on.
"I can see. Oh goodness Angela I can finally see colors for what they are," Maura had to stop talking; it was too hard to speak with the emotions swirling inside her.
Jane continued to seethe.
It went on that way for quite a while. Maura flitted from place to place in the house looking at every color she could, touching some things, almost as if they weren't real. All the while Jane was dying a little inside. This was supposed to be her moment, not Kelly's. Hers.
As she saw Maura go towards Kelly one more time she just couldn't take it anymore.
"I'm not feeling well right now. I'm going to go upstairs for a bit. I'll be back soon." She said it to an almost ignorant crowd. Everyone was gesticulating and talking loudly while Maura walked around and around the first floor of the house looking at all the colors she could see. Jane quickly grabbed her gift from the tree and headed upstairs to Maura's bedroom.
It didn't take Maura long to find her, it never did when Jane needed to escape.
"Jane? Are you feeling alright? Kelly said she heard you had mentioned not feeling well." Jane caught Maura from the corner of her eye walking into the bedroom. Maura knelt in front of Jane while she was sitting on the end of the bed.
Shooting Maura a look she spoke, "Kelly's just awesome isn't she?" Jane's sarcasm wasn't lost on Maura this time.
"I don't understand Jane. What happened?"
"Those stupid glasses are what happened!" Jane's inner turmoil and anger was starting to spill out. She couldn't hold it back anymore.
"Aren't you happy Jane? I can see the color spectrum correctly for the first time in my life. I just don't understand what I did. Why are you made at me?"
"I'm not mad at you Maura!" Jane yelled and saw Maura flinch away from her momentarily. After a large sigh and with a quieter voice she repeated herself, "I'm not mad at you Maura. I'm mad at myself. Of course I am happy. Do you know why I had us put up all those colorful streamers and tinsel all over the tree?"
"It's Christmas, I just thought it was part of your family tradition."
"No Maura. I had us hang all that colorful stuff because I wanted you to see some of the most vibrant colors when you put the glasses on."
Maura was very confused now. "Jane, I did put them on, and I saw all of it. It was amazing! It is amazing! And I don't understand what this has to do with my Kelly."
"They're expensive Maura. I- I wanted to get you something so nice this Christmas since it is our first one, and so everything I had planned on spending for you, and then some went to getting the glasses. I just don't make the kind of money you do so I wanted it to be special." Jane sighed, her shoulders slumping in defeat. "I couldn't even do it right. I was so excited when I saw the ad for them and then I just had to tell someone. There was no way I was going to tell Ma, and when Kelly was waiting on you downstairs a couple months ago, it just came out. I told her what I was gonna get you and she seemed so thrilled about it. Stupid. I was so stupid."
Maura still looked confused.
"I bought you a pair Maura. I bought you a pair for Christmas and then of course Kelly knew it was the greatest gift to get you so she bought them herself and made sure that you opened hers first. I feel like such a fool."
"Oh Jane, why didn't you say anything downstairs?"
"Because no matter what she does you always take her back. No matter how badly she screws up, or what she does it's always okay with you. It's Christmas and I didn't want to ruin it, even if it wasn't me giving you the glasses.
"It's okay. I still have the receipt, I'll sent them back and get you something else," Jane said looking towards the ceiling, avoiding Maura's eyes at all costs.
"Jane," Maura waited for Jane to look at her. "Jane! Look at me."
With watery eyes, which she hastily tried to scrub away with her clenched fists Jane looked at Maura.
"How many times have I told you that you're financial status means nothing to me? That this isn't a competition?"
Jane mumbled something unrecognizable as words.
"What?"
Jane tried again. "A lot, I don't know how many, just a lot."
"Why do you always focus on the differences between us?"
"I don't know Maura," Jane was getting frustrated now. "You just deserve so much! You're so smart, and gorgeous and a million other things and I since I can't compete with you financially I thought that for once I could do something that would be priceless. Though considering what I spent it's not really priceless. I mean-" A delicate finger covered Jane's lips to stop the rant that was spewing forth.
"Goodness I love you."
Jane's head snapped up, "What?"
Maura smiled gently, "I love you Jane, and I think I always will. For you to do something like this for me, it'- it's- I can't even describe it."
"I didn't DO anything. She did. She did it all."
"Where are the glasses you bought me?"
"In my bottom dresser drawer. Why?"
"I want them," Maura stood up from her kneeled position on the floor. She walked over to Jane's dresser and quickly found the box that Jane had recently hid inside.
"You already have a pair Maura; I'll just send them back and get you something else."
"No Jane. I want these. Kelly can take the ones she essentially stole from you and shove them…somewhere. I don't know where, I can't remember the phrase."
Jane chuckled at this, her festive mood slowly returning.
Maura took the box back to Jane and sat on the bed next to the brunette. "I want these Jane, because they are from you. And I will wear these knowing that it was you that brought the color into my life. I once was blind, but now I see." Maura paused for a moment. "Did I get that one right?"
Jane's full laugh followed by a much fuller hug and kiss traveled through the upstairs of the house, quickly raising spirits again.
"Yes Maura. That was right." She smiled, "I love you too."
And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed it. Those glasses are real if you didn't already know. They seem cost between $350-$400 depending on which style you purchase.