A/N: Not sure if needed but I'm adding it just to be safe. This chapter discusses medical procedures and needles.

It took Jane three days to broach the subject of children again. As per usual, it took Maura by surprise, the question seeming to come from thin air. "Why did you freeze your eggs again?"

Maura closed her laptop, turning to face the brunette. "I knew I was getting older, so I decided to preserve my options to have biological children." She watched as Jane plopped down on the couch, her eyes glazed over as she thought. "This pre-dated our relationship, of course, but I don't regret it. I'm glad we have the option."

"What was the process like?"

Maura studied her girlfriend for a bit, trying to figure out where this was coming from. If she knew where it was coming from, she could assuage her anxieties now. As per usual, though, Jane's emotions were locked up tight behind a door Maura couldn't access yet. "In the long run, it was fairly non-invasive. I had to administer my own medication, go to a few appointments where they monitored the eggs and my reaction to the medication, and then I had a short procedure under anesthesia to remove the eggs." Maura thought back to that period in her life. She never would have imagined herself in DC, living with the love of her life who also happened to be her best friend, or discussing starting a family with her. "Your mother is the one who brought me to that appointment."

This made the Instructor lift her head, her eyes meeting Maura's for the first time since the conversation began. "Why didn't you ask me?"

"To be honest, that was my plan. But you had a big case come up and I didn't want to interrupt that." She remembered agonizing over who to call, needing someone who wouldn't judge her decision or make things feel more awkward. "Your Mother was not my first choice, I was worried about her discretion."

This made Jane chuckle, her head falling back to the couch. "Well, whatever you threatened her with must have worked. She never told me."

"Well, she could have. It wasn't exactly a secret."

"I know. You told me you wanted to do it." Maura let the silence be, giving Jane time to think and process whatever she needed to. Her voice seemed hoarse when she asked another question. "The medications you gave yourself required needles, right?"

"They do." She watched Jane grimace, her hand coming up to push hair out of her face. "But the needle is small. It helped that I knew what I was doing, too."

"How many eggs do you have?"

Maura chuckled. "Thirteen. A rather unlucky number, if I do say so myself."

The brunette shot up. "Thirteen?" Her voice was loud in disbelief. "Maur, how many kids do you think we need?" Her head snapped up as she spoke, studying the blonde from across the room.

Maura couldn't help but laugh at the incredulous look on Jane's face, her wild hair only adding to the effect. "I'd like more than one." Being an only child herself, she could see the benefits of having multiple children.

"I think you'll be all set with your thirteen eggs. Jeez, Maur!"

She giggled, but it was clear she would have to explain. "If only it were that simple." This caused Jane to look up, her face falling. "With thirteen eggs, given our age, we would have around a sixty to seventy percent chance of having a single child."

"That's it?" Her dark eyes were wide as she watched Maura nod. "Maur, that's almost a coin toss."

"Jane, those odds are slightly better than a coin toss."

"I know that, but it's not so far off!" She sat forward then, head in her hands as she digested the new information. "So let's say that I added my eggs to the mix. Would that increase our chances to have more than one?"

"Yes. Every egg increases our chances." She waited, letting Jane work out whatever it was that she wanted to work out. It took longer than she'd expected it to, Jane sitting for over a minute without saying anything. "Jane, remember, we do have other options."

"I know, I know." She looked up then, offering a soft smile. "I'm just trying to weigh the pros and cons of you sticking me with needles for the rest of my life."

"Oh, it's not for the rest of your life. Just a few weeks."

"I know. I'm just being dramatic." She chuckled then, her dimples showing, and for a moment Maura wondered if their children would inherit that particular facial deformity that they shared. "Did you settle on a Doctor?"

"Not yet, but I had narrowed things down."

She took a breath. "Well when you do, can you make me an appointment?"

Maura would have sworn that her heart skipped a beat, and she could feel her mouth stretching as she grinned. "Of course."

Jane watched her for a moment, her eyes soft, before standing and looking at her watch. "I'm starving. Do you want Chinese or Thai tonight?"

"Um, Chinese, I guess." Jane nodded, walking forward and pressing a kiss to the crown of Maura's head before leaving, pulling up the menu on her phone. Maura, on the other hand, was too stunned to go back to writing. She played their conversation in her head again, making sure she understood it. Turning back to her computer, she pulled up the few sites she needed and doubled down on her research.

There was a wall at the clinic that was covered with photos of smiling babies and happy families. Looking at them all, Maura was pleased to find people represented from all types of families. Taking it all in, she was pleased when Jane came up behind her, resting her chin on Maura's shoulder. "Hey." Her voice was a whisper, so close to her ear it sent shivers down Maura's spine. "That's a lot of happy families."

Maura hummed, backing into her chest, breathing out when Jane's arms wrapped around her and pulled her closer. Her eyes settled on a picture of two women with two squishy babies, one wearing an apple hat and the other in a strawberry one. "Maybe we will be one of them someday." The tightening of her girlfriend's arms around her waist told her that she hoped for it too.

"Jane?" A voice in the distance called, the brunette pressing a kiss to Maura's cheek before grabbing her hand and pulling her along.

In the exam room, the nurse went over Jane's medical history, her previous miscarriage, and asked them about their goals. She mentioned something about testing, told them the Doctor would be right in, and left them after a few minutes. Maura watched Jane sitting on the exam table, her shoulders hunched more than usual as she chewed on her bottom lip. "Jane. What's wrong?"

The brunette snapped her head when Maura said her name, softness in her features that was reserved only for people she loved. "Nothing." It wasn't reassuring, and Maura could feel her eyebrow raising, needing more information. "It's really nothing. I don't like Doctors offices." She grinned then, her smile mischievous. "I never minded yours, though."

"That's because I wasn't doing procedures on you."

"That's not true! You fixed my nose!"

Maura laughed then, which had the added effect of helping Jane relax. "Technically, I fixed your nose at a crime scene, not in my office. And your toe was done at my house."

Jane crossed her arms, smug satisfaction painted all over her face. "Same difference."

"Jane, that phrase doesn't make any sense! They can't be both the same and different!"

"No Babe, it just means…."

The gentle rapping on the door made Jane stop, sitting up straight as the Doctor entered. She was what Maura pictured when she read someone described as 'mousey,' petite and thin, with short dark hair cropped at her shoulders. "Hello, how are you all doing in here?" She was softspoken as she entered, reaching a hand out first to Jane and next to Maura. "I'm Dr. Correa."

"Jane Rizzoli. Nice to meet you." Her voice dropped in pitch as she introduced herself, one of the many ways she was learning Jane tried to appear strong. She gestured over to a sitting Maura. "This is my girlfriend, Dr. Maura Isles."

"Maura. Please, just Maura."

The Doctor smiled, leaning against the counter to address them both. "Nice to meet you both. What brings you here today?"

Jane smirked before answering. "I want to preserve my option to have biological children."

Maura shook her head, holding back a giggle. "At least I know you listen to me every once in a while."

This made Jane's eyes roll, her arms coming up to cross over her chest. "Just because I can't repeat your Googlemouth, doesn't mean I don't listen when you talk!" She turned her attention to Dr. Correa, who was watching them with amusement. "I wanna freeze my eggs. I'm just saying it like this one would." She tilted her head in Maura's direction.

Dr. Correa laughed as she glanced at the computer screen, familiarizing herself with Jane's information. "That sounds like something I can help you with. Do you have an idea of roughly when you'd want to use these eggs?"

It was one thing they hadn't discussed in length. Their discussions tended to stick with the how and why as opposed to the when. Maura met Jane's eyes and saw a determination in them that seemed new. "No more than two years from now, I think." It was a sentence that made Maura's heart skip, the joy stretching across her cheeks. "Does that make sense, Babe? It gives us time to get married and settled, and still gets us started just before we hit our mid-forties."

This made the Doctor smile, her gaze pulled from the computer screen as she addressed them. "When's the wedding?"

"Well, um…"

"I haven't asked her yet." Jane's confession made the smaller brunette's eyebrows pull together as she studied them. "I have a plan!"

"I'm not sure that you have a plan, Jane. All you've done so far is mess with me."

Jane turned her palms up, her eyebrows raised. "That's part of the plan, Maur."

The Doctor giggled as she listened to them, making a few notes in Jane's chart. "I see here that you just started your period?" At Jane's nod, she continued. "I'm going to have a tech come in here and draw some blood. And send you for an ultrasound. In a couple of weeks we will have a better idea of how many eggs we can get from a cycle, and talk about the retrieval process then." She smiled then, looking between the two of them. "Is that something you have time for today?"

Jane nodded with enthusiasm, reaching a hand out to grab Maura. "Definitely."

The Doctor smiled as she looked between the two of them. "Great! I'll have the tech come right in, and she'll tell you where to go next."

Jane grinned back, reaching a hand out to shake Dr. Correa's hand. "Thank you. It was good to meet you."

"Great to meet you both." Maura could see that her smile was genuine as she left the room.

Taking advantage of the small amount of time they had alone, Maura grabbed Jane's hand, fighting to hold back her excitement. "Jane, we couldn't have timed this better. If all looks good we could potentially start your injections next month."

Her brown eyes grew large, and she squeezed Maura's hand tighter. "You're gonna stick me, right?"

Maura's other hand came up to rub soothing patterns into Jane's thigh. "Love, they'll train you on how to do them yourself."

"I don't trust myself with a needle! Would you trust me with a needle?"

"Well, with proper training..."

"Maura, one class here is not proper training." Jane's eyes met Maura's, her fierce gaze punctuating her point. "You're a Doctor. You're sticking me, right?"

Maura wanted to laugh. Jane, her Jane. Strong, beautiful, stubborn, resilient, tackle a meth-head Jane, was nervous about a needle. Looking into her sincere eyes made Maura swallow that laughter, squeezing her hand a little harder. "Yes, I will stick you."

Her shoulders fell as she relaxed. "Thank you." She leaned forward then, pecking Maura's forehead and running her free hand down the back of Maura's head, letting her hand rest between her neck and her shoulder.

The tech was in a few moments later, just as cheery as the Doctor before her. Jane squeezed Maura's hand during her blood draw, looking away as the needle went in. When it was done, they were worried she would faint. But the brunette shook her head, forcing a giggle. "I don't know why I work myself up so much. It's never that bad." She stood then, pointing to the door. "Where to next?"

The tech led them to the ultrasound room, where another person took images of Jane's ovaries and uterus. After setting up a follow-up appointment, Jane and Maura were able to leave, their stomachs grumbling. Turning to the brunette, Maura grabbed her hands. "Do you have time to eat before your next class?"

"What day is it?" Jane looked at her watch, counting on her fingertips. "I have about an hour."

"We're right down the road from Black Market. Do you want to call in our order?" She started walking to their car, her pace brisk.

"Are you making healthy choices today, or are we indulging?"

The question made Maura pause at the door, her fingers on the handle. "It may be because I'm so hungry, but a burger and milkshake sounds extremely appetizing."

Jane grinned, the phone coming to her ear. "That's my girl!"

At her follow-up appointment, Dr. Correa suggested more than one cycle to retrieve eggs. But to this, Jane shook her head. "I don't think I can." The petite Doctor watched her, confusion etched in her features. "I'll try anything once to try and have children. Once. But the daily shots and procedures throughout all of this is a lot, and I can only handle so much." She then looked at Maura, dark eyes wide and apologetic. "I'm sorry I can't do more."

"Jane, you've already done more than I asked you to." They were both sitting in chairs this visit, their fingers laced together as they listened to the recommendations.

Squeezing her hand with gratitude, Jane turned back to address the professional in the room. "Between her eggs and mine, we have a reasonable shot at one kid, right?"

"Maura's thirteen eggs and what we project we can get from you give you a good chance to have a single child. Although, the chances for a second drastically decrease." The Doctor leaned against the sink, her hands falling into the pockets on her white coat. "You expressed an interest in more, so we suggested more cycles. You can stop whenever you want regardless."

Jane's head again turned to look at Maura, her features soft. "One child is good. Two would be nice. But if we can't have two with our eggs, you are the one who reminded me that there are more ways to have a family."

Maura felt her chest fill up with pride at Jane's words, and could feel the grin stretching across her face. Squeezing her hand tighter, she responded. "Whatever you are comfortable with. I have a feeling you won't be comfortable with a second cycle."

Jane shook her head back and forth. "Nope. One is plenty."

"Okay." The mousy woman watched their exchange, making a note as they decided. "So one cycle. No problem. We have a class on the medication you'll be administering in two days. After that you'll be sent home with everything you need to start administering on the second day of your period. We'll monitor everything on our end, and in about a month you'll have some frozen eggs."

"Sounds great, Doc. Thank you so much." Jane held out a hand for her to shake, her smile warm.

"I wish you two luck." She switched her focus from Jane to Maura, shaking her hand as well. "See you both in a few weeks."

Jane fumbled through the class, definitely unsure of herself with the pen and the syringe. Maura found trying to direct her wasn't helpful, it only frustrated her more. In the end she was successful, walking out of the office with a triumphant grin, their bag of supplies tucked under her arm.

Jane rolled over one morning, one of the rare days they both got to sleep in, her fingers tickling Maura's cheek as she tucked stray strands of hair behind her ears. "Hey, baby." The groggy sound of her voice made Maura's stomach pull, and she attempted to inch closer to her girlfriend's warm form. "Are you still okay with sticking me?"

Maura opened one eye, taking in the sight before her. Jane watched her with trepidition in her eyes, her hand moving down to rest on Maura's hip. "Do you need injections today?" The nod was almost imperceptible, Jane's fingers tracing random patterns as she waited for an answer.

Her actions had Maura confused. "Did I say anything that implied that my original answer had changed?"

"Can you ever answer with a 'yes' or 'no'?" She squeezed Mauura's hip now, her face changing from nervous to playful.

"I already said 'yes' Jane, nothing has changed."

"A part of me knows that. But now I've done the class, and you know I have the knowledge, but something about pinching my own skin and stabbing myself really..." Maura cut off her rambling by covering Jane's mouth with her own, pulling the taller woman into her body by her hips. It had the desired effect. Jane stopped talking, using her mouth for other activities instead.

After a brief distraction, Maura found herself in the bathroom, Jane dressed only in a bra and boyshorts, pinching the skin on the right side of Jane's belly button. Her girlfriend squeezed her eyes shut and looked away, her knuckles white as they rested on the countertop. Maura was quick, counting down from three so she would know when to expect the pinch. And when she was done, the tall brunette embraced her, the hug soft and laced with gratitude. This became their morning ritual for the next two weeks. Pinch, shots, comforting hug, all before getting on with their days. Jane would go off to mold the minds of future agents, while Maura worked on trial prep and saw patients at the clinic. At night they settled in to watch movies, grade papers, or write, their morning activities seemingly forgotten.

The morning of the procedure was different. Jane was relieved to go without a shot, but miserable without her morning coffee. Maura opted for a cup of her tea from the Sichuan Province, the tea Jane referred to as 'panda poop tea'. Jane wouldn't ask for it, so therefore it wasn't as mean as making the latte she really wanted. This didn't stop the brunette from complaining. She moped around the island, watching Maura prepare her tea, her eyes narrowing as the blonde drank it. She sat on the couch and whined about needing her caffeine fix. In the car, each time her stomach growled, she used it as evidence to support the fact that she was starving. "Jane, I'll take you out to eat as soon as the procedure is done."

"Okay, but that doesn't help me now!" She whined. Her voice raised in pitch, and she actually crossed her arms over her chest. In that moment, Maura could see her as a child. Young, her features softer, hair pulled back in a messy ponytail whining about something Angela said. It was so clear she could have sworn it was a memory.

"Your mother was a saint." She said it with a chuckle, the meaning lighthearted, but the brunette in the passenger seat gasped. "Anyone who had to put up with your whining back when you had very little control over your emotions is a saint. You can't fight me on this!"

"I'm not whining!"

Maura snorted. "Jane, look at how you are sitting, and think about your tone."

There was silence on her right for a moment, but when Maura stole a glance at her, she was holding back a laugh. "No, you're right."

"There's no need to be so dramatic, Jane. I hear you. You're hungry. I'll get you food when this is over." She reached a hand out, grinning when slender fingers intertwined with hers. "I'll even get you an extra-large coffee."

"You'd better." Jane squeezed her hand, her voice softening. "You're gonna be a great Mom, Maur."

Maura felt her heart skip a beat, joy bursting from her chest. "We are."

At the office, Jane changed from her BPD sweatpants and FBI shirt into a blue paper hospital gown. She signed consents, learned about the anesthesia, and went over the procedure again. It then turned into a wait for the nurse to come and retrieve her for the actual procedure. Jane sat up on the exam table, swinging her legs and looking straight ahead. "Do you think we can hold off on some of the baby talk?" She hesitated as she asked, like she was worried how it would be received.

"In what way?"

She fiddled with her hands, her thumb running over scar tissue. "I'm happy talking about our kids in the abstract. I'm not ready to name them and start decorating nurseries."

"I see. I think I can manage that."

Jane looked at her then and smiled. "Thank you." Her head dropped down so she was looking at her lap, a mischievous grin on her face. "Besides, if we get too caught up in talking about our kids, we'll have less time to plan the next milestone."

Maura knew exactly what she was referring to. "Jane, it's hard to plan a wedding when I haven't been proposed to."

"I'm working on it!" Her dimple showed as she grinned, her eyes meeting Maura's once more. "I'm actually more interested in how both of our very different dream weddings will come together into something coherent."

The thought made Maura laugh, shaking her head. "Oh, that will be a sight."

The nurse came in a few minutes later, when both she and Jane had created a monster wedding with both of their interests that no one in their right mind would want to attend, and Jane was looking up sports themed wedding cakes. Jane stood to follow her down the hall, leaning down to press a kiss to Maura's lips, her hand squeezing her fingers. "I'll see you when you wake up."

Grinning, Jane started to leave, but turned back around just before walking through the doorway. The nurse hovered there, watching with a confused look at Jane's abrupt movements. Dark eyes met Maura's, their stare intense. "Maura, I have something important to ask."

The Doctor let out a huff, her eyebrow raising as she regarded her girlfriend. "Is it a real important question that you'll ask on one knee? Or just a regular question that you're using to mess with me?"

"It's real important." She knelt down, her foot ripping a section of the gown. The nurse in the doorway watched with eyes wide, one hand coming up to cover her mouth. Maura couldn't figure out how to tell her not to get excited. She focused her attention back on Jane, whose eyes seemed to flicker back and forth. "Maura Dorthea Isles," up came her hand, which held her cell phone, "will you keep this safe for me?"

The nurse's hand dropped and she watched them with confusion. Maura just stood there, her head shaking, trying to bite back the smile that she knew was creeping out. She picked the phone out of Jane's hands. "Yes, I will keep your phone safe."

"Oh, thank God." The brunette rose, hurriedly kissing Maura before turning back to the nurse. "I'll see you in a bit, babe!" Maura watched her disappear, shaking her head to herself as she sat. Then she started researching, because despite the ridiculousness of their monster mash up, it did give her a few ideas.

They retrieved eleven eggs. It wasn't as many as they'd hoped, but it increased their chances. With an extra-large hot coffee in hand, Jane and Maura left the clinic to find a restaurant, eager to discuss the plans for their future.