The Rizzoli-Isles house was quickly on it's way to becoming Shining Time Station as Jane, Maura, Angela, and just about everyone else in the family was getting ready for Matthew's third birthday party. Matthew loved trains, and when his Mama had asked him what kind of party he wanted for his birthday the answered was Thomas the Tank Engine. So Jane spent two weeks gathering every Thomas themed birthday party item she could fine. There were Thomas the Tank Engine streamers going from the lights to the corners of the living room and from one wall to the other over the kitchen bar. There was a personalized Thomas banner over the entryway that read Happy 3rd Birthday Matthew! The plates, in two different sizes, the cups, the napkins, the plastic forks and spoons were all Thomas. The loot bags, which were draw string bags, had a Thomas water bottle, Thomas stickers, flash cards, and Thomas crayons, mini bottles of bubbles, and a lanyard. There were Thomas the Tank Engine balloons and games, DVDs, and even the cupcakes had little Thomas and Friends decorations.
"Do you think we went over board?" Jane asked as she looked at their living room and kitchen. Frankie, Frost and Tommy were still hanging streamers and balloons while Constance and Angela were patiently waiting for Matthew to wake up from his nap so they could get him dressed. "I mean we're only having like five kids over."
"Plus their parents and our families." Maura said as she put the number three and three little candles on Matthew's small personal cake, which topped the tower of cupcakes. "And no, I don't think we went over board. Think of it as a dry run for his fifth birthday."
Jane chuckled softly and then gave a little sigh. "I can't believe he's three already. Damn that went by fast."
Maura nodded as she looked at Jane with this adorable look that meant she had something on her mind, but wasn't sure how to bring it up.
It was the way her wife was biting her bottom lip that made Jane asked, "What?"
"Jane." Maura said softly. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately and well I think it's time we start talking about having another baby."
"You want to have another baby?" Jane asked with wide eyes.
Maura nodded. "I want Matthew to grow up with a sibling. I want him to have what you had. I want him to be close to someone the way you are with your brothers."
Jane thought it over for a moment. They'd been so blessed with Matthew, so happy with him in their lives, she hadn't really given any thought to more kids. Now that Maura had planted the seed though, "Ok, yeah, lets talk about it."
"Oh Jane!" Maura said with pure happiness as she threw her arms around her wife's neck.
Over the last three years Maura had gotten to know her birth mother and they'd formed a pretty solid relationship. Hope made it very clear that she wouldn't ever try to reclaim that primary roll in Maura's life that rightfully belonged to Constance. Constance was her mother, and Hope was happy with just being a close friend. People knew that Hope was Maura's birth mother, but no one ever talked about who her birth father might have been. Paddy had done well keeping his connection to Hope secret, all anyone ever knew was that he'd fallen for a college girl and that she and their baby had died in child birth. Hope hadn't known that until that evening in London when Paddy came to talk to her. He'd wanted to clear the air, to let her know how important it was to keep him away from Maura's life and her own. Now he needed to be the one who was as good as dead so they could both be safe. Of course that didn't stop him from sending things anonymously to his grandson, which really bothered Maura, and yet gave her this odd sense of connection to him that she couldn't quite give up despite how she felt about him.
Since meeting Hope and getting to know her, Maura also got to meet and get to know her younger sister Caillin. It had been awkward and strange at first. There was an eighteen-year age difference between the half-sisters and Caillin hadn't reacted well to finding out about her mother's secret. It hadn't been that Caillin was judging Hope for what she'd done in her youth, or for willingly giving up her own child, it was that she'd thought they were closer than that and she was hurt that Hope hadn't confided in her. But to her credit she hadn't let her issues with Hope keep her from getting to know Maura, and through Maura her sister-in-law and nephew.
"How's the new job?" Maura asked the younger blonde standing beside her in the kitchen.
Caillin smiled as she accepted the drink Maura had made her. "It's great, it's a huge headache sometimes, but it's hard to have a job in New York and not run into people you want to drown in the Hudson."
"And the young man you were seeing?" Maura asked with a soft smile.
"One of the people I want to drown in the Hudson." Caillin answered with a chuckle that sounded a lot like Maura's. Both girls favored their mother and it was easy to tell they were sisters. Maura found it oddly comforting to see herself in these women, to know there was a biological connection between them.
They got to talk for a few more minutes before the birthday boy dressed in his khaki pants and red Thomas long sleeve shirt came running over to them. "Mommy." Matthew said as he tugged on the leg of Maura's Joie 'Kamilla' silk jumpsuit. "Presents now? Pretty please?"
Maura smiled down at her son, brushing her fingers through his toddler fine blonde hair. "Soon."
"How soon?" Matthew asked as he batted his pretty green eyes at her, a trick Jane would be more then happy to point out, he learned from her.
"After we have cake." Maura answered. Since she was the one who'd taught him that little trick it was much less effective on her then it was on Jane, who Matthew had wrapped around his little pinky finger. Though they both played the part of disciplinarian, if one was going to crack first and given in to their son it was more often times Jane. At least for now, Maura had a feeling that as he got older Jane would be less of a push over.
Matthew's face lit up the same way Jane's did at the mention of cake. "We have cake now?"
Maura laughed as she picked him up, set him on her hip, and ticked his tummy. "We have to eat lunch first mon petite canard."
Matthew giggled. "I'm not a little duck!"
"You're not?" Maura asked with a playful gasp. "Then what are you?"
"Mon petite coeur." Matthew answered.
Maura beamed. "And what does that mean?"
"I'm your little heart." Matthew said proudly.
"Je t'aime mon cheri." Maura said as her son nuzzled his little face against her neck.
"Je t'aime Maman." Matthew replied.
Caillin looked impressed. "He speaks French?"
Maura beamed with a mother's pride. "And a little bit of Italian."
"Not the bad words." Matthew told his aunt while resting his head on his Mommy's shoulder. "Even if it makes Mama laugh."
"Mama shouldn't be teaching you those words." Maura huffed.
Matthew shook his head. "I not learn dem from Mama. I learned dem from Nonna!"
While Matthew and his playgroup friends made a mess out of their rigatoni lunch Maura and Jane visited a little more with their guests. They talked to the other parents, chatting and laughed with Korsak and Frost, enjoyed a nice chat with Hope and then made their way over to check on Tommy and Bridget. The two weren't married yet, but they were living together, and they just recently found out Bridge was pregnant.
"She's drivin' us crazy, Janie!" Tommy whined, refereeing of course to Angela. "If it's not when are you getting married, it's when Maura was pregnant she did this and this and that. It's gotta stop. You gotta do something."
"Why do I have to do anything?" Jane asked. "This is your life, you do something. I did it the right way. I got married first and then knocked up my girl."
"Come on Janie!" Tommy begged. "Ma likes you better!"
"No she doesn't." Jane snorted while Frankie laughed. All three of them looked at each other for a long moment before saying in unison, "She likes Maura best." Which made Maura blush almost crimson.
From across the room Angela scolded, "Hey! You three leave Maura alone!"
"See!" The three Rizzoli siblings said and then laughed while Maura continued to blush.
After lunch Maura and Jane led the kids and parents in a few games before announcing it was time for cake and ice cream. By the time the kids were finished Maura was really glad she had her cleaning service on speed dial. There was sticky little handprints everywhere and icing in the oddest places.
"Hey Doc." Frost said as he came out of the hall after using the bathroom. "There's icing on Bass' shell and I don't think he likes it."
"Oh no!" Maura gasped and then ran off to check on her tortoise.
"It's still a little weird that my sister has a pet turtle." Caillin said with a chuckle.
"Tortoise." Half the room corrected in unison.
After getting the kids cleaned up it was time for presents. Matthew needed a fresh outfit after deciding to wipe extra icing from his hands all over his shirt and pants, and Jo Friday. So while Maura changed him, Jane cleaned off the dog, and Constance set Matthew's little chair next to the present table so he could be the main attraction while he opened his mountain of gifts.
This year was the first year that Matthew really understood the idea of presents. His first birthday it was all about clinging to one of this mothers because he was uncomfortable with all the people, though it had only been family. Last year he was a little more into the party but totally fascinated by the wrapping paper more then the gifts. This year he wanted to stop and play with each new thing before moving on to the next, unless it was clothes, then he just tossed them to his Mommy and moved on. Just more evidence that he was Jane's son; Matthew had no interest at all in clothes. His favorite presents were the Lionel pedal train his mothers got him, the FAO my first golf set from his Grandma Hope, the huge floor puzzle from Nana, and the massive lego set from his Nonna. Clearly grandmas gave the best gifts, and Matthew was lucky because he had three. He really liked that his Mommy had two mommies just like him, and he liked telling people that too, he would tell anyone who listened that Constance was his Mommy's Mummy, and that Hope was her Mom, and that Angela was Ma.
"Did you have a good day Matty?" Maura asked that evening as she knelt beside the bath while Matthew splashed and played with his army of rubber ducks.
Matthew nodded his head. "I like birfdays."
"They are special and fun aren't they?" Maura said as she carefully washed and rinsed his hair.
"Can I have one tomorrow?" Matthew asked.
Maura chuckled. "You'll have another one next year. That's what makes them special."
After he was dressed in his favorite monkey pajamas Maura sent her little boy over to the bookcase to pick out a story while she waited for him in the chair by the window. He came back with Llama Llama Time to Share.
"No Paddington Bear tonight?" Maura asked as she helped Matthew climb into her lap.
Matthew shook his head. "Gramps read Paddington tomorrow."
"Oh I see." Maura said with a loving smile. Paddington Bear was something special between her father and her son, just like it use to be between her father and her. He read those stories to her when she was Matthew's age. She even had an old Paddington Bear teddy bear, which now sat on the top shelf of Matthew's bookcase. Matthew's Paddington stood guard on his nightstand since his favorite cuddle toy turned out to be the super soft koala Hope had given him as a baby. As soon as he was snuggled in close Maura opened the book and began to read. Since he'd had such an exciting day he was sound asleep by the time she finished. She set the book aside and then carried her son over to his big boy bed and tucked him. She kissed his head and whispered, "I love you, Matty, sweet dreams."
"I think I got most of it." Jane said when Maura rejoined her in the living room. While Maura was getting Matthew ready for bed she'd been cleaning up the remnants of the party. She'd gotten most of it, there was a black garbage bag full of streamers, banners, and used paper plates by the back door.
"Mrs. Gregory will handle the rest tomorrow." Maura said as she walked over and took Jane's hand. "Lets get ready for bed."
"Ok." Jane said soft. "Let me take the trash out and I'll join you in the shower."
Maura smiled. "I like the sound of that."
After they shower, which wasn't totally about washing away the long day, Jane and Maura climbed into bed with tired but content sighs. Maura moved easily into Jane's arms, resting her head on Jane's chest. They laid there in the peaceful darkness of their bedroom for several minutes before Jane said, "Do you really want to have another baby?"
"Yes." Maura answered, her voice just as soft as Jane's.
Jane was quiet for a moment before saying; "There are more risks this time."
"I know." Maura said as she lifted her head so she could look at Jane. "I'm over forty now. I know there are added risks for me and the baby, but I'm willing to gamble on the odds."
"You went through so much last time." Jane said as she brushed at Maura's hair while looking into her eyes. Ever since Maura had brought it up Jane had been thinking about it, and she really did like the idea of having another baby, of giving Matthew a sibling, but she just couldn't shake the concern she felt about going through all those hoops again. She wondered if either of them were strong enough to go through all of that again.
"And Matthew was worth it." Maura said, her eyes bright with confidence and honesty. She knew the risks, the issues, the likely hood of success, but she wanted this. She wanted another baby as badly as she'd wanted the first. "Any child we have together would be worth anything I go through."
"It doesn't bother you that I just assumed it would be you going through it?" Jane asked, after a long moment of thought.
Maura smiled knowingly at her wife. "Do you want to be pregnant Jane?"
"No." Jane answered honestly.
"Then it really wasn't an assumption." Maura said. "I loved being pregnant, Jane, and you, well, honestly, you would be miserable being pregnant."
Jane smiled as she remembered what it was like, how amazing a pregnant Maura had been, and said, "You were extra beautiful when you were pregnant." She pulled Maura towards her so she could kiss her. Then when Maura was settled onto her chest again she asked, "You don't think it's selfish of me? That there's something wrong with me because I don't feel the need to physically have our next baby?"
"Of course not, Jane." Maura replied. "You're an amazing mother to Matthew and you'll be just as amazing to any child we have, no matter how we have it. Besides, I think I'd worry myself sick over you and the baby if you carried it. You're job is lot more stressful then mine and you're older."
"Only by a year!" Jane protested. "Are you calling me old?"
"I said older, not old." Maura said with a play smirk.
"I'll show you old." Jane said as she easily flipped them so Maura was lying under her. The decision had been made. They would have another child. Another perfect little human being that would be just as amazing as their older brother, and bring them just as much joy and happiness. Jane smiled, a huge brilliant smile. "I love you." She told her wife before leaning down and capturing Maura's lips in a searing kiss.
Maura said her I love you back once she'd refilled her lungs with air.
Hours later as their sweaty bodies cooled from a breeze coming through the open widnow Jane pulled Maura close. "Maura?"
"Hmm?" Maura replied, already drifting off.
"Promise me that you won't put yourself at risk if getting pregnant is harder this time." Jane said softly. "Matty and I can't loose you."
Maura turned onto her side so she was face to face with her wife. "I promise, Jane. You're not going to loose me. We have a child to raise, we have plans, hopes and dreams, a whole life to live together. We're going to grow old together, I promise."