A/N. Much love to all you readers - silent and otherwise. I appreciate all the follows, favorites, & reviews more than I can ever say. I wonder what Jane got Maura for Christmas? Hmmmm... Happy Reading!

4.

"I couldn't eat another thing." Vince groaned as he fought the urge to unbuckle his belt.

Angela, who had taken residence on the couch beside him, nudged his arm and nodded her head toward her daughter and Maura who had – as they had done so many times before – maneuvered themselves away from the group and into their own private world. Jane sat at the kitchen island, her upper torso sprawled across the granite as Maura leaned back on the counter, a glass of wine in her hand.

"They look like they're having a good time," Angela smiled tiredly.

"They always look like they're having a good time." Vince snorted, "It's about time someone knocked some sense into those two."

"How do you mean?"

"Please, Angela. I know you see what I do. They couldn't be any more right for one another. It's down right aggravating to watch them dance this clumsy dance around one another. It's painful."

Angela nodded and smiled as Frankie and Frost walked over.

"We're heading out, ma. Tommy and I are gonna see some old buddies and Frost and Beth are heading back to her place."

"You guys be safe. We may as well head out, too. Vince, would you mind helping me carry some of these bags next door?"

Jane laughed at something Maura had said, looking over to the living room where her family had already begun to shuffle into their outerwear.

"Hey, where are you guys going? We haven't even opened gifts yet?"

"It's late, Janie." Her mother smiled as Maura walked around the island to stand by her daughter's side.

"Barry's heading out with his girl and Frankie and Tommy are going to hang out with some of their friends. We can open the gifts tomorrow."

"You can spend the night here if you'd like – there's plenty of room." Maura smiled and desperately fought the urge to meet the scowl that was undoubtedly on her friends face.

"No, no, dear. Thank you, but we should get going. Besides, Janie has been anxious to give you her gift for the past few months now."

"Ma!"

"I'm amazed she's been able to keep it a secret, actually. Anyways…" Angela walked over and gathered her girls in her arms, "Love you both. Merry Christmas."

And with that, Maura's house, which had been overcome with bawdy laughter a few moments earlier, was now quite the opposite.

R&I… R&I… R&I… R&I… R&I…

"S'quiet," Jane muttered as she kicked off her heels, grabbing a newly opened bottle of wine in one hand, and Maura's hand in the other.

Maura smiled as she allowed herself to be led to the couch. The fireplace was roaring, casting an arresting glow on Jane's olive toned skin. Maura marveled at her friend's effortless beauty.

When the hell had she ever been so preoccupied by another woman, she wondered. She had to get herself under control - 'buck up', as Jane would say. Maura needed to reign in these feelings before she did something she would regret later. She knew when things had changed for her, when her feelings had shifted from platonic to romantic. What she didn't know was whether or not things had changed for Jane, as well. There were times where she thought yes. But Jane was far from an open book. There was an art to navigating the Italian woman's plethora of emotions. When Maura thought herself to be a master, things would change, and she would once again be catapulted into a whirlwind of confusion.

"Maur?"

"Yes?"

"You okay?"

"Yes, of course. Why do you keep asking me that?"

Jane shook her head and shrugged her shoulders, "You seem…quiet."

"Just tired," Maura smiled. Truth was she was anything but. The way Jane was looking at her, the fire, the soft tones of the Christmas melodies on the radio had her feeling nostalgic and weepy. All those Christmas movies she had watched as a child – all of those families that she desperately wished she could be a part of. She had that now. She had it because of Jane – and she loved her friend more than she would ever dare say aloud.

"Don't move," Jane jumped up from the couch and returned shortly with a large box that appeared painstakingly wrapped in burgundy paper with a silver metallic bow.

"Did you wrap this?" Maura questioned.

An eyebrow arched confrontationally, "Of course I did."

"Jane."

"I can wrap, Maura."

"Uh huh," Maura smiled.

"Look, just because I don't take the time to wrap the guy's presents, doesn't mean I wouldn't take the time to wrap yours. Just open it already."

Maura smiled and took her time pulling back the paper in a fashion so slow she'd undoubtedly irritate her friend. After pulling off the remaining paper, she delicately reached into the box and pulled from it's depths what appeared to be an impressive leather bound photo album. Maura turned the volume in her hand, her delicate fingers rubbing the weathered leather binding. Jane's voice was so low, she barely heard her friend over the thudding of her heart.

"Remember when you were helping my mom move out of our house? The two of you were laughing at me – pouring over all of those cheesy photo albums my mom had kept of all of us kids. The two of you looked at them for hours." Jane sighed and rubbed at the scars on her hands, "I was always so annoyed with my mother. She and her camera were everywhere – I couldn't stand it. I hated having my picture taken."

"It's more likely you hated standing still long enough for her to take it," Maura grinned.

"Hmm, maybe." Jane smiled. "Later that night, you told me that I should be grateful for all of those pictures. That they were proof that I had a wonderful childhood full of laughter and fun and that no matter how hard times would get, that I would always have those pictures to remind me. And then I got to thinking that I had never seen an album like that at your house. That you didn't have one."

Maura flipped to the first page and her breath caught in her chest.

"I called Constance and asked what she had for pictures. You were so cute," Jane scooted closer and fingered the edges of a photograph of a smiling Maura, not more than two years old. "Beautiful eyes. Curly hair. The biggest dimples I've ever seen - even then."

Maura looked through the first few pages, candid shots of her as an infant and then as a toddler. When she wasn't smiling, she seemed to be concentrating on something just out of the frame.

"I don't understand," Maura shook her head, "I had no idea these even existed."

"There were a lot of them. I have all of the extras in a box in my apartment. I was surprised too, but as uninvolved as your parents might have been, there are a ton of pics that chronicle your childhood."

Maura flipped the page and laughed aloud, "Is that…"

"Yes, that's me. Naked. Eating macaroni and covered in sauce. You can thank my mother for that one. She said that was your favorite when you were looking through my old albums. She made me put that in there. It should be a testament to how much you mean to me that this is even here."

Maura continued to flip through multiple pages – Maura through the years, Jane, Frankie, Tommy.

"I hope you don't mind that I included our pictures. I got ma to grab some of the boys and her and then I got Korsak and Frost to throw some in, too. I figured since we're your family, too that…"

Jane was cut off as Maura lunged forward into her arms, "Jane…" she whispered softly, "Thank you."

Jane was startled by how tightly Mara clung to her neck and then pained at the faint feel of wetness on her neck, "Maur are you crying?"

"No…I just." Maura pulled back, swiping the back of her hands across her cheeks, "I mean I'm just happy. This is the loveliest, most thoughtful gift anyone has ever given me, Jane. I don't know how…there aren't adequate words to convey…"

Jane held a finger to the honey blonde's lips to silence her, "You're my family. I would do anything for you"

"Including wearing this dress?"

Maura reached out hesitantly, caressing the delicate fabric atop the brunette's thighs. She wanted to kiss Jane. She wanted it so badly that it was as though every bit of self restraint was currently being taxed beyond its limit. Maura couldn't remember ever wanting something - someone – like this…wanting it with every aspect of mind and body. Her heart was pounding so loudly that she was sure her friend could hear the cacophonous beat. So caught up in the moment, she almost didn't hear Jane's response as the brunette moved closer, their knees now touching.

"Even that," Jane whispered.