This was written for my Season 2 Countdown Challenge, the prompt was "Teddy Bears". Fluff everywhere! There's more fluff in this one than in Jane's favorite type of sandwich.
Jane stirred, lifting her eyelids to take in the zoo animal wallpaper trim of the small room.
She was sitting in a pile of teddy bears- apparently she had fallen asleep. She was only taking a break from building to close her eyes- that damn crib from IKEA was such a hassle.
Jane grinned as she picked up a stuffed Red Sox bear, purchased by Frankie. He was the first to hear the news, sitting with Jane in a coffee shop when Maura called. He had insisted on purchasing the bear right away, stopping before they returned to the precinct, in a nearby sports store- he was determined to be the first to dub the child into the whirlwind of sports paraphernalia that would soon fill his or her life.
Jane plucked a large bear from the pile, the fluffy soft one that Angela had brought, along with a massive box of baby things that she had apparently been collecting since Jane and Maura's wedding. The bear was tattered and patched in several places, and Jane had been amazed to see it when her mother presented it to her. Maura's breath hitched in her throat when the detective's eyes misted over.
"Ma, you kept Max?" Jane had fought the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes and hugged her mother fiercely.
"I figured that you'd want to keep him, but if I didn't put it away you'd end up losing it like everything else. Your room's a black hole. Janie, it's a wonder you could ever find anything in there." Angela had joked, attempting to keep the situation light to keep Jane's tears from falling.
Maura was intrigued by the sudden accumulation of stuffed toys and things that had found refuge in their home. She marveled at the Boston PD bears that flowed in, one in particular that Frost had given Jane, with a serious look in his eye. He had purchased it as a token of accomplishment and good luck when he had joined the force, and it was a constant topic of jokes and discussion, sitting on his desk since his first day in the precinct. He wanted for it to have a good home now, and what better place for it than the Rizzoli-Isles household?
Korsak had smiled and handed Maura a large box, filled to the brim with cute stuffed kittens in various sizes and colors. A select few meowed when you pressed a button on their paw, or squeezed the soft, stuffed tummy.
"Jane would have killed me if I'd bought the kid a real kitten. So I figured those would do." He'd grinned, engulfing Maura in a hearty hug and nudging Jane playfully.
The whole precinct had been to the baby shower, each with a heartfelt toy or cute array of outfits in tow.
Jane stood now, with Max in one hand, staring at the unfinished crib. She had fought for her life, and fought for her love, and now she was going to have to fight this piece of furniture so her kid would have somewhere to sleep.
Warm arms slipped around her waist then, and a large belly pressed against her back.
"I see that you've made some progress with the crib…was Max helping you?" Maura smiled, kissing her wife gently when she turned in her arms.
"I swear, that thing tried to kill me. I can help Pop build a tree house, but I can't put together a ton of rails?" Jane shook her head in disbelief, kissing the crown of Maura's head.
"The baby was kicking, Jane." Maura whispered into the air, pulling the scarred hand that wasn't holding Max and slipping it beneath her large Boston PD t-shirt. Her belly peeked from it slightly, and Maura refused to wear it outside of the house, but she loved wearing it indoors where Jane could catch glimpses of that cute patch of skin.
A dull thud against Jane's hand brought delight to her eyes, along with a fresh set of tears.
"Wow…that's…I felt it, Maur….I…wow." Jane Rizzoli was speechless, and she knelt down, eye to eye with Maura's belly button.
"Hey there, kiddo. This is your Ma talking…I don't know if you can hear me, but would ya mind not kicking too fiercely? I want to keep your Mommy in one piece, okay? We have to take care of her…" Jane pulled the shirt up gingerly and placed a kiss to the recently kicked spot, looking up at Maura in reverence.
"I'll take care of you, too buddy, okay? I'll take care of both of you." Jane then whispered conspiratorially to Maura's tummy, and covered her up again before standing and handing Max to her wife.
"What did you tell our child, Jane?" Maura smiled, holding the soft bear in her hand and raising her brow at the brunette.
"Nothing…we just had a little conversation about not driving you crazy. I promised not to get into too much trouble, if Junior there promised not to burn the house down as soon as he or she flies out of the womb." Jane chuckled, earning herself a playful slap from her wife.
"If this child is anything like you, I'm never going to get any sleep. Angela told me how mischievous you were as a child…and she told me about the earrings you used to eat…and the shoes you always lost…" Maura trailed off, faux concern etched on her face.
"Hey, hey, who puts earrings on a baby, anyway? Look, like I said, as long as the kid doesn't make life too hard on you, I can handle anything that baby throws at me. I'm a Rizzoli, I can take anything."
"Even diaper changes at 3am?" Maura bopped Jane on the nose with Max's paw.
"Well, let's not get crazy….I'm not invincible"
The ME and Detective laughed into the night, before settling into their own bed and leaving the room to a quiet audience of stuffed bears.