Chapter 6: Snowball Fights

A/N: Okay, there's a little teeny bit of angst in this chapter, but it's mostly fluff.

Monday, December 23

By 10am the next day, the rest of the family had arrived. Maura, Jane, Constance, and Arthur went straight to the living room after breakfast. Well, living room was the closest term Jane could come up with to describe the room they were currently in. It was more like a cross between what she knew as a living room and a small ballroom. Jane had never been in a living room like this one – well, she'd never been in a house like this one, so it probably made sense. Not long after, the families that had spent the night at the Isles' residence joined them. The families that had just arrived this morning were getting settled in their rooms but slowly began trickling in.

Everyone was milling around and catching up with each other. Jane noticed that Emily, John, Timmy, Beth, and Charlie were all sitting on the couch. Jane was surprised they were sitting so politely. Five kids would never be sitting together at the same time like that at any of her family events. However, after she watched them for a little while, she realized that they were struggling to stay seated like that, especially the younger children. Emily was clearly holding onto Charlie, the two-year-old, to keep him seated. This made Jane feel sad for the kids; they should be running around having fun. It also made Jane feel bad for Maura; this must have been what Maura's entire childhood was like.

Maura's cousin Elizabeth walked in with her husband Phillip and their children Phil and Claire. As soon as Beth saw her cousins, she could no longer keep herself still. She jumped up and ran to greet Claire, letting out a shriek of happiness. Her mother turned to quiet her, but Beth was already pulling Claire over to Jane, so Sarah let it go.

"Jane! Jane! Jane!" Beth called loudly as she ran up to Jane dragging Claire by the hand.

Jane immediately kneeled down in front of the two little girls, a huge smile on her face. "Hi, B!" Jane said, but Beth paused at the nickname.

"B?" she asked.

Jane laughed, "It's a nickname, sweetie, but I won't use it if you don't like it."

"Do you use nicknames for other people?" Beth questioned.

"Yes," Jane started.

Beth cut her off, "People you like or people you don't like?"

Jane smiled, "People I like. I call your Aunt Maura, Maur, all the time." This clearly reassured Beth, her smile growing to match Jane's.

"I want a nickname!" Claire shouted, raising her hand in the air like she's waiting to be called on in school.

"Her name is Claire, and she is five," Beth said matter-of-factly.

Jane laughed, thinking for a second. "How 'bout 'Clairebear'?" she suggested. The smile she gave Jane in response rivaled her cousin's.

"Can we give you a nickname?" Claire asked.

"Sure, I'd love that," Jane said.

Turning to her cousin, Beth said, "Her name is Jane," – as though she hadn't shouted Jane's name over and over again on the way over to her – "and she's the bestest." Beth added a little hop in excitement on the last word.

"Hmm," Claire mumbled, tapping her index finger on her chin while she was thinking. "Janebear?" she suggested.

Jane tried to stifle a laugh. "Well, Clairebear works because Claire and bear rhyme. Jane and bear don't rhyme, but if you really like that nickname, you can call me that," Jane said.

"No, I don't like it," Beth stated. "Umm…I don't know."

"Well, my mom and brothers call me Janie," Jane said since she didn't really know what else to suggest.

"Does Aunt Maura call you Janie?" Claire asked.

"No, Maura just calls me Jane, but when I was a kid, some of my friends called me Bosty," Jane said.

"Why?" Claire asked, skeptically.

"Because I'm from Boston, and they thought I was very 'Boston' according to them," Jane said with a laugh even though she knew they wouldn't know what that meant.

"I like it!" Beth declared, and Claire nodded her head vigorously.

Claire's mother Elizabeth walked up behind the girls, putting her hand on Claire's shoulder, "Claire, honey, please come say hello to your aunts and uncles."

"Maman," Claire said excitedly. "This is Bosty!" she said pointing at Jane.

Elizabeth raised an eyebrow, and in that moment, even though Jane knew they weren't biologically related, Elizabeth looked so much like Maura. Apparently, the raised eyebrow was a common facial expression in Maura's family.

Jane laughed, holding out her hand to shake Elizabeth's. "Jane," she said. "I'm Maura's friend. And Beth and Claire's friend; that's why they gave me a nickname."

Elizabeth smiled in understanding. "It's nice to meet you, Jane. I'm Elizabeth, Maura's cousin. Claire, here, and Phil are my children," she said pointing to a little boy of about eight years old talking to John and Timmy. "My husband Phillip is…" she trailed off as she looked around for her husband. "Oh, he's over there," she said finally, pointing to a tall man that looked like he'd fit right into Jane's family who was talking with John, Sarah, and Mark.

Beth and Claire both said goodbye to Jane as they followed Elizabeth to make the rounds, politely interacting with their adult family members.

Everyone sat down together for a formal lunch. Jane couldn't help glancing back to the children sitting around the table. Rather than all sitting together, they were perfectly spaced between their parents, speaking only to their siblings or when spoken to. While everyone else was deep in conversation, Maura leaned over to whisper in Jane's ear, "Are you okay?"

Jane jumped. She immediately felt guilty for ignoring Maura. "I'm sorry," Jane said quickly, but Maura stopped her by placing her hand on her thigh.

Maura's face was scrunched in confusion and concern, "What's wrong Jane?"

Jane shook her head. "I'm fine," she said, but she could see that Maura was still skeptical. "I was lost in thought, but I'm fine. I'll tell you later though, okay?"

Maura nodded, and Jane made sure to better engage in conversation with the rest of the adults at the table. Maura's hand never left Jane's thigh, which warmed Jane from the inside out.

As they were cleaning up, Timmy asked his parents, "Can we go play outside in the snow?"

"Yeah, can we?" Phil added, turning to his own parents. The other young kids looked equally as excited at the prospect.

"Only if Emily and/or Ida will go out with you," John said. Jane watched as the two girls passed a disappointed look between the two of them.

"What if I went out with them?" Jane spoke up. "If the older girls don't want to," she added. The look of hope that crossed Emily's face broke her heart. How many times had Jane been told to watch her brothers or felt like she had to do something she didn't want to do so that Frankie or Tommy could have an experience they deserve? She didn't resent her own childhood, quite the opposite in fact, but that was one thing she was determined not to do to her own kids and it killed her to see it happening to another kid.

"Oh," Sarah said. "You don't need to do that, Jane."

Jane shrugged, "I know, but I want to." Jane felt Maura squeeze her thigh.

John, Elizabeth, Sarah, Adeliza, and Margaret looked back and forth among each other, communicating in a way that only people who have grown up together can. Eventually, John – clearly as the oldest cousin, he was used to answering for the group – nodded towards the kids. Looking back at Jane, he said, "If you really don't mind, that would be fine. Please don't hesitate to make them come inside or to get Emily or Ida if anyone is misbehaving."

Jane smiled, but she took note of the fact that he told her to get Emily or Ida rather than one of the parents if there was a problem. "We'll be fine," she said.

"Jane is fun!" Beth said loudly before realizing that she had spoken out of turn at the table. She blushed, and Jane was glad that no one said anything to her.

"I just want to change after we finish eating." Glancing at her watch she added, "Why doesn't anyone who wants to play outside meet at the side door at 1:30pm?"

Most of the kids smiled, but it was John again, who answered, "They will be there. Thank you, Jane."

Jane tried not to be as restless as the kids looked as they finished lunch. After everyone started to leave the table, most of the kids returning to their rooms to get their winter clothes, Jane started to walk back to their room with Maura. Before they could get too far, though, Ida tapped Jane on the shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered when Jane turned around.

Sensing Ida wanted to speak with Jane alone, Maura squeezed Jane's arm and said, "I'll meet you back in the room." She smiled at both of them as she walked away.

Jane shrugged, "It's no big deal. I'm basically still a kid too, just ask Maura."

Ida laughed. "Still, I think that's the first time Emily or I haven't been required to watch the kids. We love our siblings and cousins, but sometimes we just want to…" she trailed off, seemingly embarrassed by her admission.

"Be teenagers," Jane finished for her with a smirk.

"I'm 20," Ida teased in response.

"Still a baby," Jane said. Before Ida could say anything else, Jane continued, "Look, I know how you guys feel. I have two little brothers and like a million cousins, and I was always asked to 'keep an eye on them.'" Jane raised her fingers doing air quotes as she said the last phrase.

"Well, thanks," Ida said.

"Seriously, any time. Do not tell Maura this, but I need a break from the stuffiness of that lunch anyway," Jane said.

Ida laughed loudly, clapping her hand over her mouth. "Oh, I guarantee you she knows," Ida said.

Jane frowned, "Was I that obvious?"

Ida shook her head, "No. I've watched a lot of people sit through our family events and you were definitely one of the better ones at hiding it. I only noticed because I started watching you after you volunteered to take the kids. Sorry, if that sounds creepy. But anyway, I also noticed how in tune you and Maura are with each other. It's cute." This last part made Jane blush.

Before Jane could say anything else, they both head Emily calling Ida's name. Ida gave her another smile and a "thanks" before leaving to find her cousin.

Realizing she only had a few minutes before she had to meet the kids, she hurried back to their room. Maura wasn't there, so Jane left a note letting her know that she would be outside with the kids if Maura needed her. She quickly bundled up and went to meet the kids.

Before they went outside, she did a headcount. Part of her was terrified to lose a kid, while they were out there even if there was no where they could go. She tried to remember the last time she was responsible for twelve kids.

When they got outside, the kids immediately started chasing each other around giggling.

"Bosty, Bosty, look!" Beth yelled. Jane turned to see a huge smile on her face as she made a snow angel. "Can you help?" she called when she finished. Jane walked up to her, took her little hands in her own, and easily lifted her off the snow angel without disturbing the snow.

"Me too! Me too!" Claire called, and Jane lifted her off her snow angel as well.

Both girls were excited by how perfect their snow angels looked.

Thea, who Jane hadn't talked to yet, walked up and politely asked, "Can I join?"

"Of course!" Jane said. "Come here," she said to all three of them and she lined them up so that their angles would look like they were all flying next to each other. After they finished waving their arms back and forth, Jane lifted them out in turn.

Eying their handiwork, Beth said, "They look like they're friends!" Thea giggled and Jane knew that she was trying to play it cool and pretend that she wasn't having as much fun as her younger cousins.

Noticing that some of the kids were getting a little far away for her liking, she decided to draw them back in by proposing a snowball fight. She felt like they were probably all told not to do things all the time, so she wanted to avoid telling them they couldn't do something if she could help it. Of course, if anyone was in danger, she would stop them immediately.

"Who wants to have a snowball fight?" Jane called out loud enough for all of the kids to hear.

Every single one of them came running to her.

"How do we pick teams?" John asked.

Jane thought for a second, trying to figure out the best way to make sure it didn't turn into the older kids against the younger kids. "Line up in age order," Jane said and to her slight surprise, they obeyed immediately. She then split them up so that every other kid was on the opposite team. This made John, Noah, Phil, Beth, Claire, and Oliver on one team and Timmy, Thea, Benji, Lucas, Sam, and Charlie on the other.

"'K," Jane said, making the rules up as she went along. "This is the midline," she said as she dragged her foot in a line across the yard between the two teams. Each team gets 10-15 minutes to build whatever they want on their side. No one can cross the line yet, okay?" She smiled when every kid nodded looking excited. "You can use this time however you want. You can build a fort, make snowballs, come up with a plan, whatever you want. Then I'll tell you the rest of the rules. Ready, GO!"

As soon as Jane said go, all the kids excitedly started planning. Jane just stood watching them. She loved how happy they all looked, and she loved that all of the kids that weren't teens yet had come out. When she suggested it, she was slightly worried that one might sit out, then feel left out like Maura always did as a kid. She also felt irrationally proud; these kids were smart. The older ones had showed the younger ones how to make snowballs, then left them to that task while they built a shelter. Lost in thought watching the kids, Jane realized that she had to come up with the rest of the rules. She and her brothers and all their friends had played so many different versions when they were young, but she wanted something that even the little kids could understand. She decided to suggest a modified capture the flag, but she didn't have anything to use as flags. She needed two generally equally sized items, ideally in different colors. She couldn't find anything though, so she decided to use her gloves. She could use her pockets to keep her hands warm.

Once the kids were ready, she told them the rules and they started the first round. The kids were having a blast and the teams were pretty well matched. After the first couple of rounds, Jane decided she couldn't sit out any longer, so she added herself as an obstacle, throwing her own snowballs at both sides. Her hands were frozen – making snowballs without gloves was not her smartest idea – but she wasn't sure the last time she had had this much fun.

The teams were tied 3-3, they got ready to start the last game. Honestly, Jane would have stayed out all night, but she knew they needed to go in soon if they were going to be ready for dinner on time. "Okay," she said. "This is the last game." She heard a chorus of "nos" from both sides, so she said, "Ahh, I'm sorry guys, but we have to go in for dinner."

The team Jane had started to think of as the "older" team (since it was the team with the oldest kid) ended up winning by seconds, both teams having captured the flag, racing back to their home base.

"Alright, inside everyone," Jane called, and they listened. It was only as she picked up Charlie because he was struggling up the slight hill that lead to the house and he instantly fell asleep on her shoulder that she realized she had probably caused the younger kids to miss their naps.

John picked up Oliver, who was barely three, to help him to the house as well. He trailed behind the rest to fall back and walk next to Jane. "Thanks," he said to Jane. "This was so much fun. We never get to do things like this with our cousins."

His last statement broke Jane's heart, but she didn't want to let him know. "I had fun too, buddy." Ruffling his hair, she added, "You're a great big cousin and big brother." John blushed, but they had arrived at the house, so he was saved from responding.

Sarah was waiting for them at the door, so she took her sleeping son from Jane's arms. "Thanks," she said.

"No problem," Jane said. "We had a blast. Sorry, if I made him miss his nap time though," Jane added guiltily.

Sarah shook her head, "Please don't. We could have come out to get them, but they were having so much fun." Sarah paused for a few seconds before adding quietly, "I love my family, but as I'm sure you are aware, we're not the most kid-friendly family. We never did things like that when we were kids, and this generation has been expected to do the same. Honestly, I hate it, but I don't know how to change it. Anyway, thank you."

Jane smiled, "I had a blast with them, so I should be thanking you."

They split up when they got to the second floor where the bedrooms were located and Jane headed back to her and Maura's room, hoping that Maura was in there.

Maura made it back to the room not long after Jane left. She had been hoping to catch Jane before she went outside, but when she saw Jane's note, she felt a rush of affection for her friend.

M~
Sorry, I couldn't wait till you got back to the room. I went to meet the kids. I'm a little terrified of being late.
~ J
P.S. Just yell for me if you need me.
P.P.S. I know you'd rather be playing in the snow than being a proper adult.
P.P.P.S. I also know that isn't true.
P.P.P.P.S. I wanted to see how many P.S.s (is that the right way to write that?) I could fit on the page.
P.P.P.P.P.S. Am I supposed to repeat the Ps or the Ss? Should it be P.S.S.S.S.S.
P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Actually, I know the answer to that one. The Ps repeat because post-post-post-post-post-post-script makes more sense than post-script-script-script-script-script-script.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Stop laughing at me.
P.P.P.P.P.P.P.P.S. Love you!

Maura decided to grab her book and bring it to the sitting room. If no one was there, she could just sit and read, but if others were in the room, she was hoping she might be able to catch up with some of her cousins. She hadn't talked to most of them in years, and the ones she had talked to had only been through text or email.

Elizabeth, Sarah, and Adaliza were sitting in one corner of the sitting room when she walked in. Maura instantly felt ten years old again. As a kid, in this situation, she would have just taken her book into a different corner and sat down to read, secretly hoping that one of her cousins would ask her to join them, but they never did.

She wasn't the same insecure child that she was back then though. Yes, she still had more difficulty in social situations than most and part of her wished Jane were here with her, but she also knew that she had the power to change the situation. She could walk over to them. Without Maura even realizing it, Jane had taught her how to ask for what she needed.

Regardless of the knowledge that she could do this, she was still nervous. She was afraid they would ignore her or outright reject her. She just kept telling herself that that was unlikely to happen, but if it did, she could go find Jane and Jane would never reject her. She walked slower than she normally would towards them. When she was about halfway across the room, Adaliza noticed her and called out waving her hand towards her, "Maura, come join us."

Maura's face broke out into a huge smile as she crossed the rest of the way towards her cousins. Sitting down, she put her book down on the table next to her.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did you want to read? We didn't mean to pull you away from whatever you came here to do," Adaliza said.

"No, I would love to talk with you. I just brought the book in case no one was in here. I was hoping that someone would be though," Maura admitted. It occurred to her for the first time in her life that maybe her cousins didn't ignore her because they didn't want to spend time with her. Maybe they ignored her because they thought she didn't want to spend time with them.

"It was so nice of Jane to go outside with the kids," Elizabeth said. "I know Emily is especially happy she didn't have to go out with them."

"Yes, Jane is wonderful with children," Maura said proudly.

"I've noticed," Sarah said. "I'm pretty sure Beth is going to ask Jane to take her home with her."

Maura nodded, "She is wonderful with her nephew, T.J. He's still really young, but I love watching her with him."

"Do you guys want children?" Adaliza asked.

"Oh, I…we…I don't know if she wants children," Maura stuttered.

"Do you want children?" Elizabeth asked, and Maura felt a pang of sympathy for Jane. Her family was always asking her invasive personal questions like this. Maura had never had anyone other than maybe Angela express this kind of interest in her own desires for a family. On the one hand, it made Maura incredibly uncomfortable, but on the other hand, it warmed her heart that her cousins felt comfortable enough to ask her these things.

"Yes, I do think I would like to have children," Maura said.

"You and Jane need to talk about what you both want," Sarah said.

Maura's face was a mask of confusion. "It's not really my business to ask her whether or not she wants children," Maura said. "I would be happy to discuss it with her if she wanted to, but…" Maura trailed off at the looks on her cousins' faces.

They sat in silence for a few moments before Margaret came crashing into the room, Mary not far behind her, making Maura jump. Margaret had always been the loudest of the Montgomery cousins.

"Hey, Maggie," Elizabeth said, causing Margaret to stop dead in her tracks.

"Don't call me Maggie," she said trying to sound angry but failing when everyone burst into laughter. Everyone knew how much Margaret hated to be called Maggie. Maura hoped this interruption would distract her cousins from their previous topic, but it did not.

Once Margaret and Mary were settled, Elizabeth turned back to Maura, "You and Jane need to be on the same page about whether you want children before you progress further in your relationship. It's an incredibly important topic for couples to agree on."

Maura's eyes went wide. "We aren't a couple," she said quickly. "Jane and I are not romantically involved."

"Wait, really?" Margaret asked quickly.

"No, we're just friends, just friends…" Maura hated how weak her voice got when she said just friends. "Jane's straight," she added.

"Oh," Mary gasped, causing everyone to turn to look at her. Like her daughter, Mary was usually quiet, content to just listen to the conversations going on around her.

"What?" Elizabeth and Sarah both asked and Mary blushed.

"Nothing," she said quietly, looking at Maura apologetically.

"It's okay, Mary," Maura sighed in resolution, realizing that Mary had figured out her secret.

"I'm sorry," Mary said.

Maura shook her head. "It's okay. Just tell them, but please don't tell Jane. Please?" she pleaded.

"You're in love with her," Mary said quietly.

Maura nodded as tears came to her eyes. "But she can never know. Never." She said this last word with more force than her cousins had ever heard from her before. "She doesn't feel the same way, and her friendship is the most important relationship in my life. If she finds out, I could lose her."

"Maura, I don't think Jane would end your friendship if she knew you had feelings for her. Even in the short time I've known her it's obvious how much she cares for you. Regardless of whether she has romantic feelings for you, you are important to her," Sarah said.

"Is she homophobic? Does she know you're bi?" Margaret asked, never one to beat around the bush.

"Of course, she's not homophobic," Maura said, slightly offended.

"Don't think I didn't notice that you didn't answer my second question," Margaret said.

"I don't know, but I don't think she knows," Maura admitted. "She's never asked me directly and I've never told her directly. If she asked, I would tell her the truth, but it felt wrong to just tell her for no reason."

"She's your best friend; you don't tell her about whom you're dating?" Sarah asked.

"I do, but I haven't been in a relationship with a woman since we became friends. I usually don't tell her about people I only see once," Maura said.

"You should tell her," Elizabeth said quietly.

"No," Maura said firmly, but she could still hear the tears she was fighting in her voice.

"Maura," Adaliza started, but Maura shook her head.

"I can't. Please can we talk about something else," Maura said.

"Maura, it won't change how she feels about you, but it might relieve some of the stress you're feeling. You should…" Elizabeth said.

But Elizabeth wasn't able to finish her sentence as Maura's sadness and fear quickly changed into anger and frustration. "No!" she nearly shouted. "Please do not say anything to her," Maura pleaded.

Softly placing her hand on Maura's forearm, Elizabeth said softly, "Okay. Okay, Maura, we promise we won't say anything. We all promise."

Looking up to see that everyone looked sincere, as well as concerned, she nodded, not trusting her voice. Elizabeth gave her forearm a soft reassuring squeeze before siting back and changing the topic.

Maura sat there quietly as the rest of her cousins talked about the extravagant vacations they had taken over the past year and where everyone was planning to go next year. Eventually, the conversation turned to plans for the evening. It was traditional that at least some of the adult family members went to the pub in town the night before the Christmas Eve party.

Deciding she had let Maura stay silent long enough, Elizabeth said, "You and Jane will go, right?"

"Hmm?" Maura said, realizing she hadn't been paying attention.

"Elizabeth was just offering to stay back with the younger kids tonight since she can't drink anyway and sitting in a bar while five months pregnant doesn't sound like fun, so we were asking if you and Jane were coming. You guys should come," Margaret said before Maura could answer.

"Oh, I'll ask Jane," Maura said. She wasn't sure she would feel like going out tonight, but she would see what Jane wanted to do.

"Well, I hope you guys come," Adaliza said. "Jane seems fun; I'd like to get to know her better. Plus, we want you there."

Finally, Maura smiled. She wasn't sure if she had ever heard one of her cousins say that they wanted her to do something with them. "Let me talk to Jane, but I'm sure she would like that," she said.

They talked a little longer before Maura excused herself. She stopped by the kitchen to get a pot of hot coffee and cream to bring back to their room. She needed the caffeine boost and she figured Jane would want some as soon as she came in as well.

Back in their room, Maura realized she could see Jane playing with the kids from their window. She didn't even notice when the tears started rolling down her cheeks. She was so helplessly in love with this woman. How could one person be so amazing? Realizing Jane would definitely need to shower when she got back, Maura turned away from the window and went to take her own shower.

After her shower, Maura did her hair and makeup but didn't put her dress on yet, opting for something more comfortable while she waited for Jane. She didn't have to wait long though as Jane returned, pink cheeked and full of smiles, about 15 minutes after she sat down to read.

Looking up when she heard the door open, Maura smiled at her friend when she walked in. "Hi, Jane. Did you have fun?"

"It was so much fun!" Jane said. "I wish you could have joined us."

Standing up and walking towards Jane, Maura chuckled, "I definitely would not have lasted out there that long. You must be freezing."

Pulling the gloves off that she had put back on after the game ended, Jane laughed, "Yeah, a bit."

"Oh my god, Jane, your hands are so red!" Maura exclaimed when she noticed Jane's hands.

Jane shrugged, beginning to strip out of the rest of her winter clothes. "We needed flags," Jane said simply.

"I have no idea what that means," Maura said.

Jane laughed, "Sorry. We played capture the flag, snowball fight style. Each team tries to get the flag from the other team's home base, but we didn't have any flags. So, I used my gloves. Then, I couldn't stop myself from making some snowballs. Honestly, Maur, they're fine."

Maura was still looking between Jane's face and her hands nervously, "But the blood flow…"

Jane cut her off. "Really, Maur, they are fine," she said emphasizing the last three words.

"Okay," Maura said resigned to the fact that Jane wasn't going to let her examine them right now. But she couldn't fully let it go; she was worried about the blood flow in Jane's hands. The cold could exacerbate the lingering effects of the injuries on her hands from Hoyt. "Will you just let me look at them briefly after your shower."

Softening at the look on her friend's face, Jane conceded, "Okay, but let me shower and get ready first. Then you can look." Maura nodded as Jane went to shower.

Jane returned, not long after. She was wearing a fresh t-shirt and lounge pants, but her hair and make-up was done. Maura felt her breath hitch when she saw Jane. Something about the combination of the elegance of her hair and make-up and the casual clothes turned Maura on more than she expected. Luckily, Jane didn't notice her reaction as she came to sit next to Maura on the couch.

"We have a few minutes to relax right? Before we have to get dressed?" Jane asked.

"Yes," Maura said. "We should probably get dressed in about 30 minutes. Would you like some coffee?"

"That would be great," Jane said.

Maura had stood up before Jane had even answered, and she came back with a cup prepared just as Jane liked it. She set it on the table instead of handing it to Jane though. "Can I see your hands?" Maura asked.

Jane wordlessly held out her hands to her friend. As Maura examined them, checking the blood flow in her fingers by pinching them and seeing how long it took for the color to return, Jane thought about how Maura is the only person she would ever allow to do this. She didn't feel at all like Maura was judging her for her scars. All she felt was love and concern.

"Okay," Maura finally said, satisfied that Jane hadn't done any damage. "But next time, please find something else to use as a flag and keep your gloves on. There are tons of things in this house that you could have used had you just asked."

"I promise," Jane said as she took back her hands and picked up her coffee.

"My cousins want us to go to the pub with them tonight," Maura said. "At least some of them go every year the night before the Christmas Eve party. I don't usually go, but they asked. I told them I would ask you."

"Do you want to go?" Jane asked, trying to read Maura's face.

Maura shrugged noncommittally. "I'm honestly not sure," she said.

"Okay, well tell me what you're thinking," Jane said.

Maura looked into Jane's eyes as she tried to decide how much to tell her. In the end, she decided on the full truth. It was easier than trying to hide it. "Jane, they said they wanted me to come," she said quietly. "They've never said they wanted me to do something with them. Although, I realized today that they may have interpreted my reluctance to ask to join them as me not wanting to do things with them, but today, they said they want me to come. They want you to come, too. They like you, a lot." Maura smiled as she said the last part. "However, I was really looking forward to spending some time with just you tonight. I need some alone time with you, or more accurately some one-on-one time with you."

Jane smiled, "Do you want to know what I think?"

Maura looked at her hopefully, "Yes, very much so."

"First, let me say that I am happy to do whatever you want tonight, so don't decide on what you think I would like to do," Jane said. "But if you're really on the edge, I think we should go."

"You do?" Maura asked.

Jane nodded. "We have a lot of opportunity for one-on-one time, both while we're here and back home. I'm not saying that I wouldn't like to spend a night in with you. That's my favorite way to spend an evening." Maura smiled at this, as Jane continued, "But you don't get this chance very often, Maur. I don't want you to go just because they want you to go or because you think I want you to go, but if there is part of you that wants to go because it's what you want to do, then I think we should. Sorry, that sentence was a little confusing."

"It's okay. I knew what you were saying," Maura said. "Thank you, Jane."

Jane raised an eyebrow, "What are you thanking me for?"

Maura sighed, but Jane could tell it was a contented sigh. "For a million different things. For knowing me so well. For always supporting me. For helping me think through these things. For everything you've been doing over the past few days to make a good impression on my family. Don't think I don't see it," Maura said with a smile. "You never have to change yourself for me. I hope you know that, but the effort you're putting in…it means a lot. I don't really know how to explain the difference, but…"

Jane put down her coffee and took Maura's hands in her own. Giving them a squeeze, she said, "I understand what you're saying. I would do anything for you, Maur. You are…you are my best-friend." She was going to say, you are the most important person in my life, but she was afraid that was too much.

Maura smiled and returned Jane's squeeze. Standing up, she said, "As much as I'd rather sit here with you, we have to get ready."

"Yeah," Jane said. "Wait, so are we going tonight?"

Maura laughed, "Yes, I'd like to go, as long as you are coming too."

"Of course!" Jane said with a laugh. "I wouldn't stay here while you go out. I also wouldn't go out while you stayed here, just so you know."

"I know," Maura said as she found her dress. She gave Jane one last smile before they fell into their easy routine of getting ready alongside one another.

Maura once again felt warm from the inside when Jane took her hand in hers while they walked down to dinner.

A/N: I know "Bosty" was never Jane's nickname, but it's a nickname of a good friend of our family, so I wanted to use it.

Also, I don't believe we ever learned Constance's maiden name, so I made it up.