Chapter 8: Christmas Eve Morning

Maura couldn't help but freshen up a little in addition to brushing her teeth. She knew it was just Jane, and Jane had seen her in all states of disarray. Still, she knew she would remember this morning for the rest of her life, so she felt she needed to look at least a little better than she did now. She quickly threw her hair into a loose French braid before washing her face and applying a light cover of makeup. Feeling much better than she did before, Maura left the bathroom and sat down next to Jane on their bed.

As Maura sat down, Jane turned to look at her. "You did not just put on makeup, did you?" Jane exclaimed.

Maura blushed. "I just freshened up a bit," she said, causing Jane to laugh.

"Just so you know, I think you look beautiful no matter what, even just after you wake up with a hangover," Jane told her.

"Oh, at least one of your hangover cures must have worked," Maura said. "I feel much better. I actually forgot that I was hungover."

"Maybe it was the kiss," Jane teased.

"Maybe," Maura said with a smile. "I think we should try again just in case."

Jane smirked but leaned forward. Maura met her halfway, and their lips met for an even more passionate kiss than the first. Jane ran her hands up and down Maura's back as Maura threaded the fingers of her left hand into Jane's hair. When Jane's tongue entered her mouth, Maura couldn't help the moan that escaped her, and she responded by pulling Jane even closer to her. Frustrated that she couldn't use her right hand to touch Jane since she was leaning on it, Maura rolled over so that she was laying half on Jane, freeing up her right hand to sneak up the side of Jane's shirt.

Maura could feel her body responding to Jane, and her hands itched to explore new territory, but she was afraid of pushing Jane to far. She didn't want to make Jane uncomfortable. Just as she started to pull back to ask Jane how she was feeling, there was a knock on the door, causing both of them to jump.

"Maura, Jane, are you up?" Sarah called from the other side of the door.

Maura groaned in response as she buried her face in the crook of Jane's neck.

"I'll get it," Jane whispered, laughing slightly at Maura's reaction to being interrupted.

"No, I'll go," Maura said as she pushed herself off Jane and headed to the door.

Opening the door, she intended to tell Sarah that it was a bad time, but she stopped when she saw her cousin's face. "Are you okay?" Maura asked concerned.

"I'm sorry," Sarah said as Jane walked up behind Maura. "I hope I didn't wake you guys. It's just that Beth is losing her mind. She's been crying and throwing a tantrum all morning."

"Is she okay?" Maura and Jane asked at the same time.

Sarah nodded, but she looked like she was about to start crying herself. "Yes," she said. "There's nothing actually wrong with her. She just wants Jane. I tried telling her she could see Jane later, but that she had to calm down in order to do so. But that didn't work. Normally, we refuse to give into their tantrums. Generally, Beth and Charlie both know that crying and throwing a fit is only going to make it less likely that they get what they want, but this time, nothing is working. I don't know what else to do. It's just getting worse. I'm sorry. I hate to ask, but…"

"Of course," Jane cut her off. "I can come. I don't mind at all."

"Thank you," Sarah said, sounding relieved. Jane glanced back at Maura before following Sarah back to the room the kids were staying in.

As soon as Beth saw Jane walk through the door, she ran and threw herself into Jane's arms. Jane picked her up and held her tight, whispering soothing reassurances as she rubbed her back to calm her down. Beth's crying started to subside, but she kept her head resting on Jane's shoulder as she hiccupped. "Are you okay, sweetie?" Jane asked.

"I missed you," Beth whispered into her ear. This broke Jane's heart, especially since she knew that Beth and her family were leaving after the party tonight, and she didn't know the next time they would see each other. She was also surprised at how quickly Beth had become attached to her in only two days and wondered if she should be concerned. For the moment, she decided to just try to figure out what was bothering the girl so much this morning and worry about what came next later.

Jane sat on the edge of the bed, turning Beth in her arms so that she was sitting on Jane's lap, her side pressed against Jane, and her head still resting on Jane's shoulder.

"You know, I've really liked getting to know you the past couple of days," Jane told her. "And I'd really like to stay friends, but you know that I live in a different country, right?"

"But you're my only friend," Beth said quietly.

"I find that hard to believe, B," Jane said. "I've already seen how much your cousins like you. I think they're your friends, too. I also think that maybe you have some friends at home that you don't know about yet."

"What do you mean?" Beth asked, finally sitting up.

"Well, how about you tell me what you like to do at home? Do you go to school?"

Beth nodded, "I'm in cours préparatoire."

Jane had no idea what that meant, but she decided to go with it. "Are there any kids you like to play with at school?"

"No one likes me," Beth said.

"Have you asked every single kid in your class that?" Jane asked. Beth's statement broke her heart. All she wanted to do was pull the girl close and tell her to ignore all those kids because she was better than them, but she knew that wasn't the right response.

Beth gave her a look so reminiscent of Maura when she thought Jane had said something ridiculous that Jane couldn't quite believe they weren't biologically related. She waited for Beth to answer. Finally, Beth let out the most exasperated "No" that Jane had ever heard. "But they say I'm bossy," she added.

"Yeah, people tell me that too, and I know that kids used to tell your Aunt Maura the same thing. What the other kids don't know yet is that being bossy just means you're going to be a great leader one day, but I know that doesn't make it any easier right now. I'll tell ya what. No matter what anyone else says, I'll always be your friend, but I think maybe I can help you make some more friends at school. Remember how I said you probably have friends that you don't know about yet?"

Beth nodded.

"Well, I think there are probably some kids in your class that really like you but they're too shy to say anything. When you go back to school after the holidays, I want you to promise me that you will ask at least two kids in your class that you have never played with to play with you at recess – do you have recess?"

Beth looked over to her mom. Sarah answered, "Récréation."

"Yeah, we have recreation three times during school," Beth said as she held up three fingers to show Jane.

"Perfect," Jane said. "Then, what do you think? Do you think you can do that? Ask two kids you don't know well to play with you?"

Beth shrugged, "I suppose, but what should we play?"

"Well, maybe you can let them choose," Jane suggested.

"Okay," Beth said. "But I still want you to be my friend. Phil said you weren't really my friend and that you were just pretending."

"Is that why you were so upset this morning?" Jane asked.

"Yeah," Beth said as tears returned to her eyes.

"Oh, sweetie," Jane replied. "I promise you that I'm really your friend. I wasn't pretending. Besides, you can ask Aunt Maura, I'm a terrible pretender."

"Really?" Beth asked as a smile started to peek through her tears.

"Yeah, really," Jane said. "And, maybe, if it's okay with your mom and dad, we can talk sometimes after I get home?"

Sarah walked over to sit next to Jane and Beth. "I think that's a good idea," Sarah said. "You can video call with Jane and maybe she'll even leave her address and you can be pen pals."

"Oh, I would love to be pen pals!" Jane said happily, and Beth finally smiled fully.

"Yeah? I've always wanted a pen pal!" Beth said excitedly.

"Okay, so we will be pen pals and we will video chat, and you will talk to some new kids at school. How does that sound?" Jane asked.

"Good," Beth said. Turning to her mother, she said, "Sorry, I was bad, maman."

Sarah reached out and took Beth into her arms. "Thank you for saying that darling, but I think we can let it go this time. Next time, though, please just tell me what happened to make you so upset, okay?"

"Okay, je t'aime maman," Beth said as she hugged her mother.

"I love you, too," Sarah replied. "Why don't you want a TV show on your tablet while I finish getting ready? Then, we can go down to lunch with papa and Charlie."

Beth nodded and all three of them stood up. Jane kneeled down to Beth's level to give her one last hug before saying bye and leaving the room.

Just as Jane was leaving, Sarah followed her out into the hall. "Thank you, Jane," she said.

"Really, it was no problem," Jane said.

"Actually, I don't think you realize how big that was for her. Making friends has never been easy for her. I have no idea if she will remember your suggestion or if she will follow through, but the fact that you got her to agree to try…well, that's a lot more than her father or I have ever been able to get."

Jane stepped forward and gave Sarah a hug. "I meant it when I told her that I understood," Jane said. "And I hope that we do keep in contact."

"Me too," Sarah admitted. "You're good for her; maybe you're good for our entire family. Anyway, I'll make sure to exchange phone numbers before we leave."

"Sounds good," Jane said.

"Thanks, again," Sarah said before returning to their room.

Jane got back to their room to find Maura dressed.

"Is everything okay?" Maura asked Jane.

"Yeah, she's okay," Jane said. "Phil had told her that I wasn't her real friend, that I was just pretending. That's why she was upset."

"Oh, that wasn't very nice of him," Maura said.

"No, it wasn't, but he's like what eight? I think he was just trying to bug her but didn't realize that he had touched on a sensitive topic for Beth. I guess she has some trouble making friends in school, too," Jane explained.

"That's too bad. I can definitely understand why she was upset," Maura replied. "She seems like a sweet kid, though. I'm surprised she has trouble getting along with other kids."

Jane shrugged. "As you know, interacting with adults and interacting with other children can be very different things."

"True. I was always better with adults, even as a child," Maura admitted.

Jane nodded. "Anyway, I hope maybe I was helpful, and I told her we could still be friends after we leave here, so maybe I can help more once she's back in school, too."

Maura stepped forward and wrapped her arms around Jane's shoulders. "If anyone can help, it's you," Maura said against Jane's lips. "You've helped me more than you even know." Maura closed the remaining gap, trying to convey her love and appreciation for Jane in the kiss. Jane's stomach rumbled, interrupting their kiss. "You're hungry?" Maura teased.

"Yeah, well some of us got up at a normal time this morning, which makes it lunch time now."

"Hmm, well then, maybe we should feed those people," Maura played along.

"I think that's a very good idea," Jane said. Stepping away from Maura, she asked, "What time do we have to start getting ready for the party?"

"Probably right after lunch," Maura said. "The party doesn't start until 4pm, but we are expected to be ready by 3pm."

"I would ask why we need to be ready an hour early, but I think this time I'll just go with it," Jane said.

"We take family pictures," Maura said.

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," Jane responded. "Okay, let's get lunch then. I know you'll want as much time as possible to get ready."

"Yes, let's go," Maura said, and they headed to the family dining room where various family members were milling around eating a light lunch before getting ready for the Christmas Eve party.

A few hours later, Jane was standing self-consciously in front of the mirror as she tried to make sure everything was perfect. She was wearing a strapless black floor-length dress that hugged her body before flaring out just above her knees. Her black, strappy heels sparkled in the light in the room. She had fought against the sparkles (these shoes were Maura's doing), but she had to admit that they looked nice with her dress and especially with the diamond bracelet and earrings she was wearing. This was by far the most expensive outfit she had ever worn (and the most expensive jewelry she owned), but it would be worth it if Maura approved. Her hair was pulled back in an elegant updo. She was actually impressed with her own handiwork doing her own hair.

She was so lost in thought and nerves about tonight that she didn't hear Maura come out of the bathroom until she was standing right next to her.

"I think you're missing one thing," Maura said as she looked Jane up and down in the mirror.

"What?" Jane asked nervously. "I…what…what am I missing?"

"Jane, calm down," Maura said, surprised at Jane's reaction. "I only meant that I had something for you."

Jane turned towards Maura. "Oh, sorry," she said. "I'm just nervous."

Maura looked at her skeptically but handed her the box she was holding. "I wanted to give you an early Christmas gift," Maura said.

"You weren't supposed to get me anything," Jane said. "I told you that this trip was more than enough."

"Jane, it means the world to me that you are here with me. You being here, spending your Christmas with my family, that's your gift to me, not the other way around," Maura told her. "Besides, this isn't even your real gift. Or rather, it's just part of your gift and not the important part."

Jane looked down at the box Maura was holding. She eventually reached out to take the package and unwrapped it. It was a slim velvet box. When Jane opened it, she saw a beautiful necklace that perfectly complemented the other jewelry she was wearing. "Oh, Maura it's beautiful, but it's too much," she said quietly.

Ignoring Jane's comment, Maura replied, "I was hoping you'd wear it tonight. Here, let me put it on you." Maura took the box out of Jane's hand and carefully removed the necklace. She stepped behind Jane and clasped the necklace behind her neck. The necklace sat perfectly, just above the low-cut neckline of Jane's dress. As she released the necklace, Maura let her hand trail down Jane's back; she felt Jane shiver slightly at her touch.

Jane brought her hand up to touch the necklace. "It's beautiful," she repeated. "Thank you, Maura." Jane turned around to face Maura and gave her a chaste kiss.

"You're beautiful," Maura replied with a soft smile.

Finally, Jane pulled herself out of her own head and noticed what Maura was wearing. She felt tears try to escape her eyes as she took in how beautiful Maura looked. She was wearing a deep emerald green dress that fit her perfectly. Jane couldn't find the right words to express how she felt in this moment, so all she said was, "You look amazing." Her eyes eventually returned to Maura's and both could see the deep love and attraction in the other's eyes. "Should we go downstairs?" Jane asked, and Maura could hear the nerves return to her voice.

"We have a few minutes," Maura said. Taking Jane's hands in her own, she asked, "Why are you so nervous?"

"I'm not good at this stuff," Jane admitted.

"At what stuff?" Maura asked, genuinely confused.

"Fancy parties and proper etiquette," Jane said. "I don't want to embarrass you."

"You won't embarrass me," Maura said truthfully. "I don't care if you don't know all the proper etiquette. I just want you to be you. I already appreciate the fact that you're willing to dress up and attend this event with me; I know it's not exactly how you'd prefer to spend Christmas Eve."

"Well, since the only thing I care about is being able to spend Christmas Eve with you, I think it's exactly how I'd prefer to spend Christmas Eve," Jane said. "But we both know that I don't fit in here."

"I don't fit in here," Maura said.

Jane rolled her eyes, "Come on, Maur. That's not true."

"But Jane, I'm not sure why you don't think you fit in. I understand that this isn't what you're used to, but my family loves you. I don't care about how we grew up or where we came from; I don't care about the money or who either of us have socialized with. I thought you knew that?" Maura questioned.

"I…" Jane tried. "I do."

"You don't sound so sure of that," Maura said.

Jane pulled her hands back and crossed her arms in front of her body.

"Please just tell me, Jane," Maura pleaded.

"I just want your family and friends to like me. I want them to approve of me – as your girlfriend, or hopefully more in the future. I know that you were concerned about the impression I would make. That's why you wanted to make sure I had the right clothes and that I knew what to expect."

"Oh, Jane, no," Maura said. "No, that wasn't…I'm so sorry. Is that what you have been thinking since we went shopping?"

"Well, what was I supposed to think?" Jane asked.

"I…I'm so sorry," Maura said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "I was never worried that you would embarrass me in front of my family. I was worried that my family would embarrass me in front of you."

Jane sat down next to Maura. "What?" she questioned.

"I don't care what you wear or if you know all the rules of etiquette, but I was worried that someone might say something to you about something you were wearing or for not knowing something. I was worried they would upset you. I know I went about this the wrong way. I know that asking you to change so that my family doesn't do something to upset you is wrong. Just like telling girls not to wear short skirts just so that boys aren't tempted to assault them is wrong. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," Maura said as tears came to her eyes.

"Oh," Jane replied. She didn't really know what to say.

"I hate that you thought that I was embarrassed by you for so long," Maura said. "You can change into your sweats and t-shirt and go to the party like that for all I care. I still wouldn't be embarrassed by you."

Jane snorted at this. "I'm not going to go to your parents' fancy Christmas Eve party in sweats, Maura."

"Well, you could," Maura said. "But, personally, I'm kind of glad you want to keep this on because I was looking forward to looking at you all evening in this dress. I'm not sure how I will be able to keep my hands off of you."

Jane blushed, but then she realized that they might have another problem. "Uh, Maura, we've just spent the last few days telling people we're not together."

"But we weren't together yet. We were telling the truth," Maura said matter-of-factly.

Jane laughed. "I know, but I guess I'm asking what you want to tell people now."

"Oh," Maura said softly. "Do you not want people to know we're together?"

"What? No, of course I don't care if people know. I mean, I guess it makes me a little nervous. I haven't even come out to my family or anyone else back home as gay, but I still want the world to know that you're my…well, we haven't actually talked about what this is, but I'm really hoping that this means you're my girlfriend, and I want people to know that."

"You identify as gay as opposed to bisexual?" Maura asked curiously.

"Okay, can we maybe come back to that? We are definitely running out of time right now," Jane said, slightly exasperated.

"Right," Maura said. "Well, I would like to be your girlfriend and I would like for you to be mine. I would also like to attend this party as a couple, but I would understand if you're not ready for that. I wouldn't be upset. While I'm not willing to hide it forever, I know that this is extremely new, so I'd be fine keeping it to ourselves for now."

Jane shook her head. "I don't want that, and I'm not sure I'd be able to keep it a secret. This, us, this makes me so happy. You have no idea," Jane said with a smile.

"Me too," Maura said, leaning in for a kiss. As she pulled back, she added, "Okay, so we know we need to talk through the detail more later, but for now, we're both okay with being openly together tonight?"

"Yes, and if people ask if we're dating or together, we say yes," Jane said.

"Okay," Maura replied. "We should probably go. We don't want to be late."

They both made sure they had everything they needed for the evening before heading out hand-in-hand to attend their first event as an official couple.

A/N: Okay, that chapter didn't turn out as fluffy as I intended, but I hope you still liked it. More actual fluff to come.