Maura Rizzoli-Isles was adorable on a good day. A pregnant Maura Rizzoli-Isles was the leading cause of diabetes among Boston homicide detectives, and it wasn't just her wife who was suffering from it. Even Korsak and Frost doted on Maura, going out of their way to do this and that for her, and Maura being as sweet as she was didn't have the heart to ask them to stop. She and Jane had kept the pregnancy to themselves at first, though their friends and family did notice Jane being just a little more attentive and Maura a little more cautious. After walking through the nine circles of hell to get where they were they wanted to make sure that Maura and the baby came through the first fragile stages safely before letting opening the flood gates and letting the others swarm in.
The first people they told were their mothers. Constance was at a conference in Egypt so they told her over Skype. Maura had been surprised by her mother's tears of joy, but had soon joined her mother at dabbing her eyes and gently sniffling. The moment they'd told Angela Maura had gone from her beloved daughter-in-law to something almost sacred. Maura made sure that Angela knew that this baby would be as much her grandchild as it was her own parents'. It was important to her that everyone understood that despite biology this baby was a Rizzoli.
After their first doctor's appointment following their announcement Angela was waiting for them on the steps of headquarters with a camera. They paused long enough for Jane to give a thumb's up in front of Maura's stomach as they mugged for the camera. The only reason Jane didn't kick up a fuss over this was because Maura wanted to keep a record of her pregnancy, she wanted to tell the story of their child from the very beginning. So there were pictures taken of Maura preparing a fruit and cheese tray in a little black dress with just the very hint of a baby bump, and one of her in her black scrubs, hands on her hips with even more of a little bump. Jane put little arrows pointing to the baby bumps and then wrote, 'you are here' and the number of weeks Maura was at. Every night Maura would print out whatever picture had been taken and pasted it into a beautiful leather bound scrapbook that they would have personalized after the baby was born. She and Jane would both write little comments or letters, thoughts or hopes, meaningful little things, and silly things they wanted their baby to know in the book. Maura laughed when she opened the book to add a picture of her parents and found a picture of Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi with Jane's handwriting detailing, "This is a Jedi." There was also a clearly photo-shopped picture of two baby tortoises with light-sabers. "These are Jedi turtles." Maura couldn't help crossing out turtle and correcting it by adding, "Tortoises, Jane." Before going on to read, "I can't wait to teach you what a Jedi is." Maura got a little teary over the simple sentiment and tried to blame it on her hormones. Jane could be so sweet sometimes.
It wasn't uncommon for Jane to find her wife Internet window-shopping when she slipped into her office during lunch. Maura had a weakness for shoes. What was surprising, other then the lack of shoes on the screen, was what her wife was eating. "Maura?"
"Hmm?" Maura replied. She'd heard Jane come in and smelled her perfume long before her wife walked through the door.
"What are you eating?" Jane asked, trying like hell to hold in her laughter.
Maura looked down at her lunch and then up at her wife. "Chili cheese dog with extra onions French fries and coleslaw."
Jane had to bit her knuckle to keep herself from laughing. Maura was showing and a little touchy about it and Jane didn't want to set her off by laughing. "Maura."
"Hmm?" Maura replied once more.
"You don't eat hot dogs." Jane pointed out. "Entrails and eyeballs and hooves and all that remember?"
Maura pouted. "I know, but I just really wanted a hot dog. It's the pregnancy Jane. I'm craving things I wouldn't normally eat if I weren't pregnant. This morning I had an egg mcmuffin, Jane, it was really good."
"Is that what happened to my last bag of barbeque pork rinds?" Jane asked as she sat on the edge of her wife's desk.
The cute little pout on Maura's face got poutier. "I woke up hungry last night."
Jane leaned in and kissed those pouty lips. "Mmm, Dirty Robber chili. Did you go without me?"
"No, Frankie went for me." Maura said with a warm smile. "He was going on lunch and stopped by to ask if I needed anything."
"At least he's good for something." Jane teased and then turned her attention to Maura's computer. "FAO Baby?"
The honey blonde nodded with a radiant smile. "We need to start thinking about converting the spare bedroom or maybe the guest room into a nursery. The guest room is bigger but the spare room is closer to ours."
Jane looked at the beautiful circular crib on the screen and down at the price. "$1400 for a crib? Maura? Come on! Seriously? What's wrong with getting a nice crib at Target?"
"I'm just getting a feel for what's out there Jane." Maura said with a soft huff. "I was hoping we could go to some of the baby boutiques this weekend. Pick out some things we like, maybe find some themes we like so we can pick paint colors."
"I'm not hearing lets run to Target." Jane said, now she was the one pouting.
Maura gave her wife a look that said she wasn't furnishing her child's room at Target. Not that there was anything wrong with that particular store, in fact Maura rather enjoyed shopping there, but this was a far more serious matter. An Isles simply didn't do discount when it came to home décor. Besides, this was going to be their baby's personal space; it should be warm and comfortable, and durable.
"Ok, ok, we'll go shopping this weekend." Jane gave in after several seconds of trying not to give in. Truth be told she was kind of excited about the idea of baby shopping. Going shopping, doing little things for Maura like rubbing her feet and going out a three a.m. for a slurpee, it all made her feel a little more involved in this whole thing. From the very beginning Maura had been bearing the brunt of this baby thing and Jane wanted to do what she could to help. This was her baby too after all. Picking out furniture and bedding and stuff would help her feel closer to the baby. Jane was kind of worried about that. Right now there was this kind of forced detachment between her and the baby because she was out here and he or she was in there, so she was doing what she could to form some kind of bond with him or her. Every night after Maura had fallen asleep Jane talked to the baby, that was their time, and she cherished that.
Maura rewarded her wife's willingness to spend their day, possibly days, off going from store to store with her with a long, slow, kiss. When the kiss came to an end Maura's voice was husky as she said, "Jane?"
"Hmm?" Jane replied with her eyes closed, her forehead pressed against Maura's, drinking in the feeling of having her wife in her arms.
"Can we have grocery store birthday cake for dinner?" Maura asked sweetly.
Jane's eyes snapped open and then rolled. "I'll pick a small one up for dessert."
Because they didn't know the sex of the baby, both women wanting to be surprised, they had to find a nice neutral nursery theme. Jane wanted something fun and cute, while Maura wanted something cognitively stimulating and yet peaceful and zen. As they walked around the first store Jane saw something they just had to get no matter what theme they went with. It was a Cloud B Twilight Turtle, which was basically a turtle that projected stars onto the walls and ceiling. "It's a Bass light!" Jane said excitedly.
Maura couldn't reject the toy, not with the look of pure delight on Jane's face.
They looked around and picked up little things like the bassinet that would stay in their room, but had yet to agree on a nursery theme. Jane had said no clowns right off the bat. Jane hated clowns. Maura wasn't found of birds so bird themes were out. There was an unspoken unanimous agreement there wouldn't be an African jungle theme. After they had lunch they designed to head over to the paint store to pick out wall paint, thinking that would give them a better starting point. Maura feel in love with the idea of having grey walls and bringing in color through accents like wall hangings and rugs. It took Jane a bit longer to get comfortable with the idea of grey walls but the more Maura detailed it out the more she liked the idea too. So with paint colors picked out and a few texts sent to her brothers and Frost about helping to clear out and paint the spare room, since it was closer to their room, they were that much closer to a finished nursery.
The final store they went too, for that day at least, was mostly clothes. Jane groaned when she saw her wife's face light up. "Maura, we don't even know what to get yet."
"I know." Maura replied before wandering deep into the store. Before completely indulging in the cuteness of baby clothes she threw over her shoulder, "We can at least pick out a coming home outfit!"
"Dear God, I'm married to a woman with an unlimited platinum card who's high on baby hormones in an upscale baby boutique, help?" Jane said, as she looked skyward and then sighed when there was no response. "Even you know better don't you?" She chuckled and then walked off to find her wife. She never made it further then the section of hand made christening outfits.
"They're lovely, Jane." Maura said softly as she came over to stand beside her wife who was looking at a beautiful silk and lace gown. "We can have the baby christened in the church we were married in. I know it isn't the same but…"
Jane shook her head to stop Maura from going further. "No, I wouldn't want it done anywhere else. Father George opened his church to us with open arms. Him christening our kid, that's icing on the cake. I was just thinking about who we should ask to be godparents."
"Who do you want to ask?" Maura asked gently.
"Korsak or Frost but I don't know which." Jane answered. "I've known Korsak longer, we've been through a lot and he's always had my back. But so has Barry, he's a damn good partner and an even better friend."
"Why not ask both of them?" Maura asked.
Jane gave her wife a look that asked if she were serious. "That's not how it works Maura. Godparents are usually a godfather and a godmother."
"Yes, well, normally parents are a mother and father." Maura pointed out. "Our baby is going to have two mothers. Why not give them two godfathers? Besides Jane, we don't really have many female friends outside of each other."
"That's a good point." Jane said with a slight chuckle. Then she turned her attention back to the display of gowns and rompers. "I don't know. I'll think about it."
There was a busy kind of buzz in the bullpen of Homicide, just like any other office space, that Jane found comforting. It was familiar like her favorite shirt and fit her like her favorite pair of boots. Jane could tell when there was an extra bit of excitement, like when she announced she and Maura were having a baby, or when there was a sad cloud hanging overhead like when they lost an officer. Jane was in tune with her space as if it were a pulse, which is why when that buzz suddenly stopped her head jerked up from the witness statement she was reading over. Frost was sitting across from her, his hands still over his keyboard, his eyes wide. Jane turned her head slightly to see Korsak and Frankie suddenly in the doorway of Brick looking at whatever Frost was looking at. Slowly Jane turned to see what the guys were gapping at. The air in her lungs whooshed out like she'd been kicked in the chest by a horse. "Casey?"
"Hiya Jane." Casey Jones said with a careful smile. "It's been a long time."
Jane slowly got to her feet, her big brown eyes never leaving the army solider standing there before her. "Five years, Casey. It's been five years without a word."
"I can explain that." Casey said as he took a step closer to Jane.
Jane stood her ground. They'd been friends once and Jane had spent the last five years wondering and worrying about him. The only thing she knew was that he wasn't dead because that would have been covered in the St. Dominic's alumni newsletter, which she read for the sole purpose of looking for his name. When he was close enough Jane hugged him. "I'm really glad you're alright."
When Jane pulled away Casey was about to ask her if she'd like to have lunch and talk but as he looked her over he saw the glint of a platinum band on her finger. "You're married?"
"Three years, four this summer." Jane replied with a nod.
Casey couldn't hide the flicker of disappointment in his eyes. "Congratulations." He managed with a forced smile. "So who's the lucky guy? I'd like to buy him a drink."
"That would be me, Lt. Colonel Jones." Maura said politely from the doorway. She stood there with a soft smile on her lips and her right hand resting on her swollen stomach. "The drink is a nice offer but will have to wait. I'm currently unable and unwilling to consume alcohol at the moment."
Casey stood there looking at Maura for a long moment before looking back at Jane. She had the most amazing smile on her face as she looked past him to Maura. When he turned back to look at Maura, he could see that light reflected back. "Well," He finally said, a bit crestfallen. "I can't say I'm all that surprised."
That drew Jane's attention back to Casey with a surprised, "What?"
"Jane." Casey said with a bit of a sad chuckle. "The night I slept over at your apartment after we saw each other again at the awards thing, you told me I'd have to sleep on Maura's side of the bed."
"Oh." Jane said as she thought about that night. "But we weren't together then. We weren't a couple."
Casey just gave Jane a look. "Because having your own said of each other's beds wasn't a coupley kind of thing to do."
Jane glared at Casey and then softened. "Yeah, ok, you and everyone else who's ever come up with a because reason has a point." Her wife giggled from where she stood and Jane shot her a look. "Don't." She warned. Then she looked back at Casey and asked, "Where the hell have you been?"
"Like I said." Casey replied. "I can explain."
"Why don't you two have lunch?" Maura offered.
"Are you sure?" Jane asked as she moved around Casey to Maura. She didn't even think, it was just second nature now, to put her hand on Maura's belly. This of course got the newly mobile baby to kick. The first time Maura had felt it she was changing into her scrubs and there was the oddest little flutter. She stood there topless for a good ten minutes, still as a statue until she felt it again, she'd barely remembered to put a shirt on before going to find Jane. The first time Jane had felt the baby kick they'd been at a crime scene and Maura suddenly grabbed her hand and put it on her belly. Jane was on the verge of asking what the hell when she felt the thump against the palm of her hand. It was the oddest and most amazing thing she'd ever felt.
Maura nodded. "The baby was up late last night so I didn't sleep well. I'm going to take a nap in my office and then ask my wonderful brother-in-law to get me something from the market."
Jane turned to Frankie who was beaming a smile. "Do not buy her a pint of fresh peanut butter and let her eat the whole damn thing. Again."
Maura pouted. "We like fresh ground peanut butter." We of course meant she and the baby. Maura had been on a nut butter kick lately and would gladly clear out Whole Foods grinding station if left alone to do so. The look Jane gave her made her sigh. "Fine, I was thinking a cobb salad anyway."
That evening in between bites of peanut, almond, and cashew butter mixed together Maura asked about Jane's lunch with Casey. Jane told her that Casey had been injured by a roadside bomb and badly hurt, there'd been spinal damage, and that he'd spent the last five years in Seattle getting it medically treated. He could barely walk after the accident and being a proud man, he couldn't bare the thought of Jane seeing him like that. Jane said they were able to get closure and move on, that they promised to be friends.
With Maura's due date inching closer Jane finally called in the muscle to help get the nursery started. Friday they cleared out the spare bedroom and primed it after Angela gave it a god cleaning, Saturday they painted it, Sunday they touched up the paint so it was perfect, and Monday the professionals laid the new soft light grey carpet. Normally Maura would have hired people to do everything but she understood that putting the nursery together was important to Jane. Since Maura was carrying the baby the least Jane could do, according to Jane, was get the outside world ready for him or her. Which is why the following weekend she agreed to let Jane and the boys put together all the furniture. All the furniture was white, and there was a lot of it. Jane was working on the crib, there was also an armoire, changing table, dresser, bookcases, a glider with an ottoman, and night stands. The crib was one of those grow along deals that could be converted into a toddler's bed and then a child's bed, so it wasn't easy to put together. After he finished helping Tommy put the large white armoire where it belonged, Maura had drawn up help guide, Frankie went over to help Jane. Tommy moved on to putting together the bookcases while Frost finished putting in all the hanging hardware for the pictures and other wall mounted things that would bring color into the room. When he was finished he picked up the instructions for the crib and helped Jane and Frankie figure out what bit went into which hole.
In the kitchen Maura and Korsak were finishing their own little projects. Maura had had everyone do a handprint, which she had framed and would be hang in the nursery. She and Vince were getting the last two. Vince was dipping Jo Friday's paw in pet safe paint and pressing it gently to the paper while Maura was sitting on the floor of her kitchen trying to convince Bass to give her his front leg. "It won't hurt Bass I promise." She said gently while coaxing the tortoise out of his shell with a British strawberry. "You want to do something nice for the baby don't you Bass?"
Jo and Bass had become a bit of a theme in the nursery. There was a hand painted framed poster of a smiling cartoon Bass that read, "So Many of My Smiles are Because of You" and a cartoon Jo that read "You are Loved by So Many" On the wall over the crib was another hand done poster. In Maura's handwriting but painted by Constance the words, "Before you were conceived we wanted you. Before you were born we loved you. Before you were here an hour we would die for you. This is the miracle of love." Directly across the room from that in Jane's handwriting, "You bring light to our world. Love to our hearts. Happiness to our home. And utter joy to our family."
There were framed photos, and the handprints, books to fill the shelves of the bookcases. Jane had gotten the little BPD teddy bear, which would sit in the corner of the crib, if she ever got it put together. There was a little crystal tortoise with a little crystal dog on its shell, a left over trinket from their wedding, sitting on the base of the lamp next to the chair by the window. The bedding would come after the baby was born so it was gender color appropriate. There was a bassinet set up in their bedroom, stroller and car seats in the garage, high chair on order. They were stocking up on clothes, diapers, wipes, and everything baby thing they could think of and then some.
They were ready. Or they were as ready as any new parent would or could be. Now all they had to do was wait.