A/N: This was originally posted as the epilogue to Maura's Rizzoli Birthday, but I'm turning it into a series. This is now Part 2 of Rizzoli-Isles Family Celebrations.
Timeline note: The first two chapters/the main story took place in summer 2009; Maura and Jane got engaged in summer 2010 and married in spring 2011. Emily was born May 2012 and James was born October 2014.
Friday, May 19, 2017
Maura was so excited that she was literally bouncing in her desk chair. She was also pretty sure she had never looked at the clock so many times in such a short period. She was only working until noon, but it felt like an eternity. Jane had taken the day off, and Maura had intended to do the same, but of course, a last-minute case had forced her out of bed before dawn when no other MEs were available. Such is the duty of being in charge. However, she had made it clear to everyone on her staff that she would not be staying a minute past noon. And no one was going to stop her because today was her daughter's fifth birthday.
Emily Angela Rizzoli-Isles was a carbon copy of her mama with dark brown curls flying in every direction refusing Maura's every attempt to tame them and her dark chocolate eyes full of love and laughter. Maura had been disappointed that she couldn't wake the little girl up on her birthday, but she had made sure to kiss her goodbye before leaving – although, she always kissed all her family goodbye before leaving anyway, even when it wasn't their birthday. Maura knew that Jane would spoil the little girl, though, so she wasn't worried that Emily wouldn't have a wonderful morning.
Maura had known from the first kick she felt inside of her that their daughter would have every bit of Jane's energy. Jane had argued that maybe Maura's calmness would rub off on the baby during the nine months Maura carried their daughter, but Maura had to laugh at how wrong Jane had been.
On the other hand, their son seemed to channel more of Maura's calm personality, which still shocked Jane two-and-a-half years later since Jane had been the one to carry him. Maura's heart warmed as she thought back to each of her children's conceptions and births. They had easily agreed to have Maura carry the first one using Jane's egg, but they had argued for months before conceiving James. The arguing had been stressful at the time, but now, Maura thought of it as a positive memory because, in the end, it showed how much Maura and Jane loved the other. Both of them had been insistent that the other have every experience they wanted when it came to having children. Maura had known for a long time at that point that Jane wanted the chance to experience pregnancy, even if she would never admit it to anyone else. Jane argued that if she was going to carry the child, they should use Maura's egg, but Maura wanted their children to be full biological siblings. Jane's response was to try to convince Maura to carry their second child. Maura would have happily done so if she knew Jane truly didn't want to do it, but even when Jane tried to convince her otherwise, Maura knew that Jane wanted the experience. Maura had finally been able to convince Jane that her children being full biological siblings was more important to her than either of them being biologically related to her, which was true.
Maura had been worried that she wouldn't have the same connection to James as she had to Emily, something she only admitted to Jane in the middle of the night through panicked tears halfway through Jane's pregnancy. However, Maura could not have been more wrong. The second the doctor placed their son in her arms, Maura fell every bit in love with him as she had their daughter two-and-a-half years earlier. In actuality, she had fallen in love with him much earlier than that, but it wasn't until that moment that her worries disappeared. Maura loved both of her children equally, and she knew Jane did as well. However, as they grew older, Maura had noticed that Emily gravitated more towards Jane and took after Jane more so than Maura while James tended to gravitate to Maura and was definitely picking up more of her personality traits than his sister.
Maura glanced at the clock again. 11:55am. She decided that was close enough, closed her last report, and shut down her computer. Maura waved goodbye to her staff as she hurried to her car in the parking garage.
"Tell Emily happy birthday from Aunt Susie," Susie called after Maura as she dashed out the door.
"I will, thank you," Maura called back offering Susie a smile over her shoulder but not slowing her pace.
Maura knew she was grinning foolishly as she literally threw her bags into her car, but she didn't care. Maura made a quick stop at the Dirty Robber to pick up lunch. She beelined to where she saw Korsak behind the cash register at the bar.
"Hey, Doc," he greeted. He reached behind him to grab a bag of food before adding, "I added something extra special for the birthday girl."
Maura smiled. "Thank you, Vince. I'm sure she will love whatever it is. How much do I owe you?" she asked.
Korsak waved her off. "It's on the house," he said quickly. "My granddaughter will never pay for her birthday lunch."
Maura opened her mouth to argue that Emily wasn't the one paying, she was, but Korsak spoke again before she could. "You know what I mean, doc," he said with a laugh.
"Thank you," Maura said. "You'll be there tonight, right?"
"Of course!" Korsak said, and he sounded slightly offended that she had to ask. "I could never miss Princess Emily's fifth birthday celebration. Kiki and I will be there at 5:30 like the invitation said." He held up the invitation to the girl's birthday party that he had clearly kept close. Then, he waved her off. "Go give my baby her birthday cheeseburger before it gets cold."
Maura smile only grew at that. "Okay, thank you again," she said as she turned and headed out the door.
As she drove home to her family, Maura thought back to all the birthday celebrations she had been a part of over the past eight or so years. The Rizzolis really knew how to throw a party, and she couldn't be happier that her children would have that experience from a young age.
The moment she let herself in the front door of their house, her senses were bombarded with what she could only describe as love and home. The house was loud, filled with laughter, boisterous conversations, and maybe a little screaming – happy screams, of course. She could smell the tell-tale garlic and oregano that she associated with Angela's homecooked Italian food, and she knew that tonight's feast was well on its way to being ready for Emily's party. She felt the warmth of home carried to her by the spring breeze flowing through the open windows. But the part she loved the most was the sight that greeted her when she rounded the corner to the kitchen: her family. Emily and Jane were chasing each other around the kitchen, dining room, and living room, Emily's giggles and shrieks of happiness echoing off the walls. James was sitting on one of the chairs at the kitchen island completely entranced with watching and listening to his nonna cook.
None of them had yet noticed Maura's arrival (most likely since Jane and Emily were making too much noise to hear anything else), so Maura took the opportunity to observe her family. It was Jane that noticed her first – of course, it was, Jane always noticed her first. When she spotted Maura, she stood up straight, shooting Maura one of those smiles she only reserved for her wife. Within seconds, though, Emily collided with Jane, taking advantage of her mama's distraction to win whatever game they had made up. Maura couldn't help the laughter that bubbled up as she watched Jane's face shift from happiness at the sight of Maura to momentary indignation at being distracted long enough to lose to a five-year-old to the look of pure love she wore whenever she looked at their children.
Satisfied at having won their game, Emily turned her attention to Maura. "Mommy!" she squealed as she ran straight at Maura. Maura instinctively kneeled down, letting her bags fall gently to the floor as she gathered her daughter in her arms.
"Happy birthday, baby," Maura said into Emily's unruly curls.
Emily leaned back so that she was still in her Maura's arms but could make eye contact. "I'm five," she said excitedly, holding up her hand with five fingers to emphasize the point.
"Yes, you are such a big girl," Maura replied, smiling at her daughter.
"Mommy! Mommy! Mommy!" James called from his place at the island, having decided Emily had taken up enough of his mother's attention.
Maura gave Emily a quick kiss on the forehead before setting her back on her feet. She walked over to James and lifted him from his seat to give him a hug. "Hi, baby," she said quietly to him as he left a slobbery kiss on her cheek.
Jane gave Maura a soft peck on her other cheek, offering her a quick, "hey, love," before moving to pick up the bags Maura had left in the middle of the entryway.
"Cheeseburgers?" Emily asked excitedly when she spotted the bag in Jane's hand.
"Yeah, it's your birthday, so you got to choose lunch," jane explained. "Remember, we asked you earlier this week what you wanted."
"And Papa said he put something special in there for the birthday girl," Maura said as she joined Jane and Emily at the table with James. Angela wasn't far behind her with plates, knowing her daughter-in-law wouldn't allow the family to eat out of the take-out containers.
"Ohhhh, what is it? What is it?" Emily asked, her excitement threatening to make her burst out of her seat.
Maura laughed. "I don't know, sweetie," she said calmly to the over-excited five-year-old. "He didn't tell me."
"Looks like a piece of your favorite sour cream cake," Jane announced as she emptied the take-out bag. "Just what you needed today: more sugar."
Emily squealed, waving her hands in front of her in a not-so-silent wordless request for the cake, but Jane held it out of reach. "Lunch first, cake later," she said. Maura had to stifle her laughter behind her hand at her daughter's overdramatic pout in response.
Lunch was enjoyable as Emily told the family about her morning at preschool and how everyone had sung happy birthday before sharing the cupcakes Angela had generously baked for Emily's class.
Luckily, after lunch Jane was able to convince Emily to take a nap along with James. She generally didn't take naps anymore, but both Jane and Maura knew that if she didn't the excitement of the morning combined with her party this evening would cause the little girl to crash. When Emily crashed, everyone knew it, and everyone wanted to steer clear. She definitely took after Jane in her crankiness when she was overtired.
The three adults took advantage of nap time, quickly setting everything up for the party later that evening. At 4:15, Maura decided to wake Emily to get her ready for her party. Emily had already picked out her birthday party outfit. Maura had tried to convince her to choose a dress, but ultimately, she just wanted Emily to be happy and Emily was happiest when she was comfortable.
"Mommy, will you braid my hair?" Emily asked after she was dressed.
"Of course, sweetie," Maura said, sitting down on Emily's bed. "Sit in front of me."
Emily did as instructed, and Maura began braiding her hair into a beautiful French braid. Moments like this were some of Maura's favorite. It wasn't often that her daughter sat still for anything let alone for Maura to do something "girly" as Emily and Jane called it. Maura thought her daughter looked adorable with her long hair pulled back in a French braid, even if Emily only liked it for the practicality – it kept her hair out of her face better than any other hair style.
By 5:30pm, friends and family were streaming into the house. Jane and Maura were in the kitchen when they heard the doorbell ring, barely audible above the cacophony of voices permeating the house and courtyard.
"Who would ring the doorbell?" Maura asked, giving Jane a scrunched look. Everyone invited to the party knew they could just walk in today.
"Let's go see," Jane said quickly, and Maura could tell by the smile Jane was unsuccessfully trying to hide that she knew who was at the door. Maura's suspicion was confirmed when Jane opened the door without looking through the peep hole.
Maura's jaw dropped in shock at the sight of the woman standing on the other side of the door. "Mother," Maura said quietly.
"Hello, darling," Constance greeted, a genuine smile gracing her face.
Maura returned the smile and stepped back to allow her mother to step inside. They exchanged a light embrace, leaving air kisses on each cheek in their typical greeting. Jane pushed aside the formality, though, and pulled her mother-in-law into a hug.
"I'm so glad you could make it, Constance," Jane said as she released the other woman.
"Thank you, Jane," Constance replied, offering her daughter-in-law a smile.
"Come in," Jane said, gesturing Constance towards the main living area. "Emily!" Jane called out to her daughter, her deep voice able to cut through the chaotic noise filling the room. Emily's head popped up in response and Jane waved her over to say hello to her grandmother.
"Grand-mère," Emily said excitedly as she wrapped her arms around her grandmother's legs in an echo of Jane's earlier gesture. Just like Jane, Emily had always been able to push past the formality and discomfort Maura's family often brought to social interactions, offering her grandmother a physical display of all the affection she felt for her.
"Happy birthday, darling," Constance told her granddaughter warmly as she gently patted her head. Jane had to hide behind Maura as she tried not to laugh at Constance's awkward gesture of affection. Emily didn't care though. She offered her grandmother another smile before rejoining her cousins and brother in the other room.
The party passed in a hurricane of love, laughter, family, and friends in typical Rizzoli fashion. James has fought valiantly when Maura brought him up to bed a little after his usual bedtime while the party was still in full swing, but he had fallen asleep the moment his head hit the pillow, nonetheless. Emily had fallen asleep in the middle of the floor during the extended goodbyes that always rounded out Rizzoli family events. Jane had roused her only long enough to use the bathroom and brush her teeth, but she had allowed her to sleep in her clothes much to Maura's displeasure. In the end, Maura decided it wasn't worth the battle and vowed to change her sheets tomorrow.
Now, Jane, Maura, Angela, and Constance were sitting at the dining room table each with a cup of tea, the photo and video montage of Emily's first five years still playing on a loop in the background.
"Thank you for inviting me," Constance said to the table at large.
"You're always invited, mother," Maura said gently.
"I know," Constance assured her daughter. "And I plan to make sure I'm here for more family events."
"We would love that," Maura replied with a soft smile. She felt Jane's hand rubbing reassuring circles on her lower back throughout the conversation.
"I quite enjoyed Emily's party," Constance continued, "but I have to say, it was a very different experience than any birthday parties I've ever been to."
"That's because it was a Rizzoli birthday party," Angela said with a laugh, which the whole table quickly joined in.
"I remember my first Rizzoli birthday party," Maura said, reminiscing.
"Yeah, I'm lucky you still talked to me after that," Jane said, flashing Maura a dimpled smile.
Maura bumped her shoulder against Jane's. "It was one of my favorite birthdays," Maura said, returning Jane's smile.
"Why wouldn't Maura want to talk to you?" Constance asked; she had the feeling she was missing out on a shared memory among the other three women.
Maura turned to her mother. "Jane wanted the party to be a surprise, so she pretended to forget my birthday," Maura explained.
"And made the rest of us do the same," Angela chimed in.
Jane rolled her eyes, but Constance laughed. "I remember you telling me about the surprise party," Constance commented, "but I didn't know there was some controversy associated with it."
"I forgave her pretty quickly," Maura said, turning to give Jane a kiss on the cheek.
"After I promised never to do it again," Jane added.
"You wouldn't have been able to pull it off again, anyway," Angela said. "I think you get more excited for Maura's birthday than she does."
"It also gave us the push we needed to admit our feelings for each other," Maura said; she was telling her mother, but she didn't take her eyes off of Jane as she spoke. "So, I think it was worth it."
"Me too," Jane said, leaning forward to give Maura a kiss while Constance and Angela exchanged a knowing look.
A little over an hour later, Maura and Jane climbed into their bed. Angela had left not long after they finished their tea, and Constance had been settled in the guest room.
As usual, they met in the middle, lying down so that they were face-to-face, their hands clasped between them.
"Happy Emily's birthday!" Jane teased.
"Happy Emily's birthday, to you, too," Maura replied with a smile. "I love you so much, Jane," Maura added as she closed the space between them, capturing Jane's lips in a loving kiss.
"I love you, too," Jane mumbled into the kiss as she wrapped her arm around Maura, pulling her flush against her own body. "Thank you for bringing our baby girl into the world five years ago today," she added. Maura smiled into the kiss, letting her actions say everything she couldn't get out in words.