Weeks before Valentine's Day, Hannah had prepared a playlist of songs that held significant memories for her and Emma. There was the One Direction song that they danced to with their friends at Homecoming, the Taylor Swift song that was playing in Emma's room when they kissed each other on the lips for the very first time, and just for kicks there was the Carly Rae Jepsen song that they put on repeat every time they were in the car with Jane. Jane may have claimed to hate the song, but the girls caught her humming along to it when she thought they weren't paying attention. Jane would always deny it, but the girls knew they weren't mistaken. Although she had already checked and double-checked the batteries in her iPod dock before she left home, she felt it was necessary to re-check it.
"What's your song?" Jane asked.
"'Today Was A Fairy Tale' by Taylor Swift," Hannah responded. "We were listening to this the first time we kissed. It was so perfect, Ma. We were sitting on her bed and then I leaned in and kissed her. It wasn't just my first kiss with her, but it was my first kiss ever…unless you count the time this boy Mitchell kissed me in the second grade, but I never count that as my first kiss because I punched him afterward. He was so gross, but kissing Emma was perfect. Her lip gloss made her lips taste like birthday cake and you know how much I love birthday cake. I know we've been together eight whole months already, but I still can't stop kissing her. Is that how you feel about Mom? Like, you can't stop kissing her?"
Jane smiled at her daughter before approaching the Ackerman family's driveway. "If I had a choice, I would never stop kissing her. She's the type of woman who deserves to be kissed."
"What's that mean?" Hannah asked.
"You'll learn when you're older," Jane insisted.
Hannah started blushing. "Oh, so it's a sex thing?"
"No, it's not a sex thing," Jane told her. "You'll be a woman someday and then you'll know exactly what I'm talking about."
"If you say so," Hannah sighed. "Do I look okay?"
Jane adjusted the collar on her daughter's white oxford shirt. Hannah was wearing a pair of red skinny jeans and red and white converse to complete her ensemble. She had tried to tame her curly hair, but when all of her attempts were unsuccessful, she had decided to put it in a ponytail held by a red ribbon.
"You look adorable," Jane told her.
"No," Hannah groaned. "That's for babies."
"You look charming," Jane corrected herself.
"Here goes nothing," Hannah sighed. She got out of the car and slowly made her way over to Emma's front yard.
"Hannah!" Jane called out. "Come here."
"What?" Hannah asked.
Jane handed the ring over to her. "I think you forgot something."
"Ma, I'm so nervous," Hannah admitted. Her breathing had quickened and all she wanted to do was get in the car with her mom and go back home.
"Don't be," Jane said reassuringly. "The hard part is over. She's already your girlfriend. Just stop worrying and have fun with her, but not too much fun."
"Ma," Hannah groaned. "I already told you we're saving ourselves for our wedding night."
As much as Jane wanted to believe that, she knew their feelings would change when they became older. Hannah and Emma were already so much in love with each other and Jane worried that it would only be a matter of time. "Be good, Hannah."
"Ma, I gotta go," Hannah insisted. "What if she sees me out here before I play the song? And don't you have somewhere to be?"
Jane shook her head the moment Hannah took off. Teenagers.
Hannah connected the iPod to the dock and turned up the volume as loud as it could go. "Today Was A Fairytale" was blaring out of the speakers when Emma opened the window of her second-story bedroom. The sight that greeted her was her girlfriend holding the iPod dock over her head. She didn't know whether to stay there until the end of the song or go outside to meet Hannah.
"You have a guest," Mrs. Ackerman teased.
"Oh, Mom, I love her so much," Emma said dreamily. "It's like she's been sent from heaven above just for me."
"Then go downstairs," Mrs. Ackerman urged her daughter. "I bet someone has a special surprise for you."
"How do I look?" Emma asked as she straightened out her dress.
"Beautiful," Mrs. Ackerman told her. "But Hannah already thinks you're beautiful no matter what."
"Wish me luck," Emma said, but before her mom could respond, she had already left her room and was running down the stairs. Without caring about the draft that would be let in the house, Emma flung the front door open and ran over to Hannah. Both girls were surprised when Emma leapt into her arms and accidentally tackled Hannah to the ground. They exploded into a fit of giggles and excessive apologizing although neither of them were the least bit sorry about lying together in the grass.
"You're the best girlfriend who has ever existed," Emma said excitedly. "This is the most perfect day of my life."
"It's only going to get better," Hannah promised her. "Just like our relationship can only get better." With their song playing on a continuous loop, Hannah grabbed Emma's hand. "Do you know why this is our song?"
"Because it's the song that was playing during our first kiss?" Emma asked.
"Not just that," Hannah pointed out. "I think it perfectly describes how I feel about you, even down to the dress and gray t-shirt that she sings about. That's exactly how we were dressed that day. I kept looking at you and thinking about how lucky I am to just be in the same room as you, but when you let me kiss you I felt like I was in a fairytale and you were my princess. After that day, all I wanted was to spend all my time with you. I know I was shy to ask you out at first, but it was only because of how I felt about you. I fell in love with you the first time I saw you even though we didn't know as much about love in seventh grade as we do now. Ugh, I'm sorry. I'm just going on and on."
"What you're saying is beautiful," Emma said before giving Hannah a quick kiss.
Hannah grabbed the ring from her pocket and nervously clutched it in her hands. "What I'm trying to say is all of my dreams came true when you said you'd be my girlfriend, but everyday of my life would be like a fairytale if you wore my ring."
She had yet to slip it on Emma's finger, but the moment Emma saw the birthstone ring Hannah had picked out for her, she couldn't help but gasp. "This is for me?"
"Mmhmm," Hannah told her. "I had our names engraved on the band."
As soon as the ring was slipped on her finger, Emma pulled Hannah close to her and kissed her on the lips. "I love this ring so much, Hannah bear, but I will never love anything or anyone in this world as much as I love you."
Jane returned home to find her wife sitting on the couch with a worried expression on her face. Assuming the worst, Jane rushed over to the couch and kneeled down in front of Maura.
"Sweetheart?" The sheer concern in Jane's voice nearly moved Maura to tears.
Maura motioned for Jane to sit next to her. "Do you remember what we were doing last year at this time?"
Jane felt a sense of relief rush over her. "How could I forget? You were so—I still fantasize about that night."
"Our lives have changed so much since then," Maura began. "I went from your girlfriend to your wife in such a short period of time. You took a chance on me—we took a chance on each other and I'm grateful for every moment we spend together, even the moments when we playfully bicker with each other. I love you, Jane, and the life we've built together. As I've mentioned, our lives have changed so drastically and they will continue to change for the better, which is why I have something I want to show you."
"What is it?" Jane asked as she held onto a rolled up Red Sox onesie that had been tied at the ends with red ribbons.
"It's my gift to you," Maura said solemnly. "Happy Valentine's Day, Jane."
Jane gingerly untied the ribbons, unsure of what would happen next. She already loved the idea of receiving Red Sox paraphernalia for Valentine's Day, but what bewildered her was the white plastic stick that fell from the tiny garment and on to her lap. Her eyes grew wide as she stared at the strip. "Maura, there's a plus sign on this. It's positive? You and I are…"
Maura nodded. "We are."
Jane tried not to cry, but the tears were inevitable. In an attempt to calm down, she took a few deep breaths and wiped her tears away. "Maura, this is…I don't even know what to say. Come here."
A slight giggle escaped Maura's mouth as Jane pulled her on top of her. "I hope you like your gift. The onesie says 'Rizzoli' on the back just in case Baby Rizzoli needs something to wear during post-season."
"I love my gift!" Jane said excitedly. "Maura, I love you! I love everything about you, except for one little thing."
"What?" Maura asked.
"How do you always manage to outdo me when it comes to Valentine's Day gifts?" Jane said jokingly. "Last year, I got you a bracelet and you show up horny and half naked while saying I have the key to your heart. This year, I decided to get you that antique locket that you had been eyeing, but you go above and beyond and give me a baby. You need to let me win at least once."
"You bought me the locket?" Maura asked excitedly.
"Yeah, and our toddler pictures are in it," Jane said nonchalantly. "But that's beside the point. Maura, you're pregnant."
"I am," Maura responded. Her wife was still in disbelief, so Maura decided to give her some time to adjust to what was happening for them.
"Maura, you're pregnant," Jane repeated. "Come here. I wanna hold you."
"Jane, I'm already here," Maura pointed out. "You're holding me as close to you as you possibly can."
Amidst her excitement, Jane paid little attention to what Maura had just said. Her fingertips grazed Maura's abdomen. "Our baby is in here, Maura. Your body is creating a life right now. Every single second of the day, our baby is growing and changing in you. I just—I don't know how you manage to do it, but my life keeps getting so much better because of you. Maura, you're carrying Baby Rizzoli right now. I still can't believe it. I know I was there when our baby was conceived, but it's overwhelming that this little miracle is the result of us making love to each other."
"As wife and wife," Maura added. She couldn't help the smile on her face as a result of Jane talking to their unborn baby.
"I know you can't hear me yet," Jane told the baby. "But I'm one of your mommies and I can't wait for you to be born. I just found out about you right now, but I already love you more than life itself. I'm going to be the best mommy I can be for you and I'm going to start by taking care of your mom. You're in her tummy right now—"
"Uterus," Maura corrected her. "I don't have a baby developing in my stomach, Jane."
"Baby Rizzoli," Jane said. "That voice you just heard belongs to your other mom. You're going to be hearing her say a lot of things you don't understand over the next few months and…the rest of your life, but she'll grow on you and you'll love her as much as I do. She's going to be a great mom and she already loves you so much. We can't wait to meet you, little one. There's so many people waiting for you. You have a big sister named Hannah. You're also going to have a loving and overprotective grandma and two crazy uncles. I wish I could hold you right now, but I know you have so much growing left to do before you could be born."
"Jane?" Maura asked.
"Yes, my love?"
"I know it's physiologically impossible for Baby Rizzoli to have heard you, but I heard you."
"I'm sorry," Jane said. She didn't know why, but she was suddenly overcome with embarrassment.
"Please don't be sorry," Maura insisted. "Your words to our baby were also a reminder of why I fell in love with you. There's a side of Jane Rizzoli that only your loved ones get to see. As simple as it may sound, you're a good woman, Jane, and I'm so fortunate to be your wife."
A/N: Thanks again for the lovely comments. I hope you all aren't tired of all the fluff yet. February may be over, but there's still ten months of fluff left. I have the general idea for how this story will develop, but if there's anything in particular you would like Rizzles or Mini Rizzles to do, feel free to let me know. No need to be shy and thanks again for reading. :)