Rizzoli & Isles – I certainly don't own them. I give a lot of credit to the people that do and thank them for letting me mess about with them for a bit. The story and any original characters that might crop up belong to my addled little brain.

I have a BETA!: Everyone you can thank snowinmysoul for being insane enough to offer. Many warm thanks from me :)

It's Christmastime in Rizzledom and nothing hurts (much?). I promise.

This is a continuation of When the Bough Breaks but in this story universes collide. Based on my story sketch you shouldn't have to read that one to enjoy this one. For all the angst of Bough this is a snap shot a year and a bit later, we're going to explore the happy life has to bring when time has a chance to move on.

Synergy lovers I think you'll like this one.

Everyone – Suspension of belief/reality required.

Fun fact (well if you are me): inspired by a Christmas song that is stuck in my head and it WON'T go away. I'll leave it up to you all to figure out which one.

"But Maura I don't understand why we can't use the perfectly nice pre-lit tree you bought last year. Remember, the one with the 5 million, environmentally friendly, LED lights?" Jane ran her hand through her hair as she stared up at Maura in frustration. "You know the one that took me, Frankie and Frost practically six hours to assemble? Ringing any bells?"

"I remember perfectly." Maura stared down at Jane on her couch. "However, last year the artificial tree was purchased for your mother's benefit. It was her first Christmas away from her home and I wanted her to have a tree in the main house during the holidays."

Wrinkling her forehead Jane tried to work out Maura's logic. "So now that it is Ma's second Christmas living here we need a real tree?"

"No. Now that I'm no longer meeting my parents in Vail, I don't have to worry about a real tree being a fire hazard." Maura crouched down, resting her arms along Jane's thighs. "It's our first Christmas together. Literally. Every other year I've left around the holidays to be with my parents." She pushed up, leaning on Jane's thighs and brought their lips within millimeters of each other. "Forgive me for wanting to experience everything with you."

Jane gave in, tilting her head up to close the distance, sweeping a gentle answer against smiling lips. "You don't fight fair."

Maura pressed down, deepening the kiss for a moment before pulling back. "That is simply proof that I spend too much time with you."

"I should be offended by that remark but I might actually be a little proud." Jane shook her head a little. "That was masterful."

"I try." Maura patted the thighs under her hands before standing up and offering Jane a hand up. "If you come quietly I may even be convinced to let you stop at Demut's for a cruller."

Jane eyed her suspiciously "Does the cruller mean I have to go to hot yoga to purify myself tomorrow morning? Because eww, no. I do not need to see that amount of sweating humanity in one room ever again."

Maura let out a sigh. "Fine, no bikram yoga tomorrow morning, even if I do enjoy the endorphins and the fluidity of my muscles after. There is nothing quite like it." Impatiently she offered her hand again.

Jane took the offered hand and let Maura haul her up. "You know, if that is the only exercise you can think of for tomorrow morning that makes you sweat until you get an endorphin hit and fluid muscles, then my technique is all wrong."

Rolling her eyes Maura muttered something indistinct under her breath as she led the way to the front hall closet, jumping when Jane pinched her side.

"Cursing at me in foreign languages is not allowed." Jane ignored the glare leveled at her.

"I did no such thing." Maura rubbed her side with a frown.

Jane waived a finger at her. "I don't believe that was English."

Pursing her lips, Maura tried to hold back a smile. "It wasn't."

"So you lied?" Triumphant, Jane opened the coat closet and pulled hers on while she waited for Maura to debate her choices.

"No."

Jane took a deep breath. "Okay, so let's me try to be more clear. Maura what did you just say?"

"No."

"Wait what? You're not going to tell me?" Jane took the coat Maura picked out and held it open for her to step into.

Maura smirked. "I did tell you. You asked what I had just said and immediately prior I had said no."

Stifling a laugh behind her hand, Jane snorted. "Good lord woman, it's too early to drink but I swear you're going to drive me to it before the end of today." She stalked over to the front door and held it open. "One last time. When you were muttering in whatever language you were muttering in, what did you say?"

Smiling sweetly, Maura tossed Jane the keys to her car. "Rough translation would be God bless your mother."

"Okay now I'm really offended."

It had to be the 20th tree she wrangled upright. Jane internally groaned as Maura's eyebrows drew together and that was not a good sign. At this rate she was going to miss all of Sunday football. "Can you at least give me a clue as to what we're looking for?"

Running her hands along the pine needles, Maura tugged a bit, making sure the tree was fresh before stepping back. "We are looking for a Christmas tree."

Shaking the trunk in her hand, Jane gestured up and down the length of it. "Madame I present to you one Christmas tree." Jane spun it around carefully. "I know I told you we needed to pick out a healthy, uniform tree but this one is the last on the lot. This is it, you've seen them all and most of them were good."

Maura shook her head. "I don't believe this one will work."

"For the love of all that is holy, why not? It's green, it smells good and it doesn't have a bare spot that I can tell." When Maura shook her head again, Jane dropped the tree, watching it crash back and bounce against its neighbors.

"I don't know what to tell you. I'll know it when I see it." Chewing her lip Maura looked over the tree lot. "Why don't we go out to an early dinner and then take a quick trip to that lot over by the Stone Zoo?"

"Oh no you don't, nice try Dr. Isles. Like I wasn't going to see through that." Jane wagged a finger for good measure. "You want to go all the way to Stoneham to pick out a tree after only one lot in Cambridge?" She swept her arm around the space. "This one, well stocked lot, with perfectly nice trees? Not to mention, we have all of Somerville, Medford and Arlington right here."

"Stoneham's close and I pass that lot frequently when I take the back roads to volunteer at Winchester Hospital. It appeared to have a variety of options and tree types."

"It also would bring us right by Zoo Lights. I told you. Never doing that again." Jane closed her eyes. "Stop with the puppy dog eyes. Just stop. No."

Maura let out an exasperated sigh. "Jane! Why not, your mother had the sweetest photos of the three of you there, year after year. It looked beautiful."

"It's not beautiful, it's disturbing. The dolls move Maura. They stare at you and they move." Jane folded her arms across her chest. "Do you even remember the doll case? It's like that but they twirl. Ugh. Not going to happen. No way, no how."

Tilting her head, Maura looked at the woman in front of her. The crossed arms, the one leg out stance, the raised eyebrow." Is that a challenge?"

Jane hesitated briefly. She had enough experience with Maura to realize that the smooth tone and contemplative expression did not bode well for her chances of success. But still. She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. "It's whatever you want it to be, but the answer is going to be the same so why waste the effort? No."

Before she could reply, her mobile phone rang nearly in tandem with Jane's. Maura fished her phone out of her purse, trying to ignore Jane's growing smile.

Winking at Maura, Jane pulled hers phone off her belt and kissed it, smiling wider at the glare sent her way. "Rizzoli."

Narrowing her eyes, Maura mouthed "later" before holding her phone up to her ear. "This is Dr. Isles."