Chapter 9: Christmas Eve Party

A/N: For those of you disappointed that they got together before Constance had a chance to put much of her plan in action, trust me, she's not done! There are still plenty of ways for her to meddle.

Jane stood quietly next to Maura and Constance while the families with kids took pictures first. She watched as the kids were turned and situated by the photographer, their clothes laying perfectly, and their hands placed in awkward positions that Jane supposed must look nice in formal pictures. She couldn't help but compare this to the chaos of family pictures with her extended family. She could see perfectly in her mind how Maura would look as she tried not to take control and organize everyone. Jane's immediate family was chaotic enough; Jane smiled at the thought of Maura meeting her even more boisterous extended family.

Maura noticed a soft smile grace Jane's face. Maura leaned close to Jane and whispered, "What are you thinking about right now?"

Jane jumped slightly before whispering back, "I was thinking about you meeting my extended family."

"I'm looking forward to meeting them," Maura said, mirroring Jane's smile.

Jane laughed. "It's the complete opposite of this," Jane said as she waved her hand pointing at Maura's extended family.

"That's what makes it fun," Maura said truthfully.

"Yeah, you say that now," Jane joked.

"Jane, I love your family."

"My mother is like – I don't know. My mother compared to the rest of her family is like your mother compared to my mother," Jane said.

Maura laughed, but before she could say anything more Constance was summoning them for pictures.

Jane stood aside at first to allow Maura and her parents to get some family pictures, but Constance wasn't having it.

"Jane, please come over here. I already told you, you're family too. You should be in the pictures," Constance said, waving her over.

Jane glanced to Maura, who held out her hand, indicating that Jane should join them. They took quite a few pictures of the four of them in different poses before the photographer took some of Constance and Arthur. Next, it was Maura and Jane's turn. Out of habit, they stood next to each other like they always had – a little close for friends but not close enough to look like a couple.

After two or three pictures, Constance came forward. "Wait," she told the photographer, and Maura looked at her in confusion.

"Stand closer," Constance told them as she lightly pushed them together. "And put your arms around each other's waists, like this," she said as she placed their hands. "Lay your free hand on your thigh lightly. Perfect."

She stepped away so that the photographer could take a few pictures. All Jane wanted to do was turn at look at Maura to see her reaction to her mother's positioning, but she didn't want to disrupt the pictures. She was pretty sure Maura hadn't had a chance to tell her mother about the change in their relationship yet; she'd been by Maura's side since they decided together that they were going to tell people.

"Now, hold hands with your free hands," Constance called from the side.

Jane could no longer stop herself from turning to glance at Maura. It seemed that Maura felt the same. As Maura took Jane's hand in her own, she gave Jane a soft reassuring smile. Jane returned the smile before they broke eye contact and looked back at the camera.

Neither woman had noticed the photographer take a few shots while they were looking into each other's eyes, nor had they seen Florence join Constance off to the side.

"Subtle, Connie," Florence whispered into her sister's ear, but Constance tried to wave her off.

"No one else is paying attention," Constance replied. "Besides, once they're together, they will love having these pictures."

"Or they'll hate you for making them look like a couple when they're not," Florence quipped.

But Constance wasn't listening; her eyes were back on Maura and Jane, and her soft "oh" caused Florence to turn as well, just in time to see Jane wrap her other arm around Maura and pull her in for a soft kiss.

Maura was surprised but pleased by Jane's move. When they separated, Jane could clearly read the surprise on Maura's face. "Sorry," she whispered, trying to pull away in shame. "I couldn't help it."

Instead of answering, Maura put both of her arms around Jane's neck and pulled her in for another kiss. She didn't care if her entire family was watching, and she didn't care that the photographer was still taking pictures.

"I'm not," Maura said so only Jane could hear when they pulled apart again. A whistle from one of Maura's cousins broke the spell, causing Jane to blush. Maura chuckled lightly, pulling Jane aside, so that the next group could have their pictures taken.

Before either Maura or Jane could say anything, Constance was at their side. "Since when?" Constance asked in disbelief.

"Oh," was all Maura could say, not realizing until this moment that kissing Jane in front of her entire extended family may not have been the best way to tell her parents about their relationship.

"You're together?" Constance tried again, looking back and forth between Maura and Jane.

"Yes," Jane finally confirmed. "I'm sorry you had to find out like that. We were going to…"

Constance cut her off. "I'm not," she exclaimed, echoing Maura's earlier words. She uncharacteristically pulled both of them into a hug. "I'm so happy for both of you."

"Thank you, mother," Maura said once her mother had released her. "Also, it just happened. We weren't keeping it a secret."

"Just this morning," Jane confirmed. "We were going to tell you and Arthur tonight and just let everyone else find out…" she trailed off, uncertain about the look on Constance's face.

Apparently, the look was a positive one though. "Does this mean we can introduce Jane as your girlfriend?" she asked Maura.

Maura glanced to Jane for confirmation, which she received in the form of a slight nod. "Yes, mother. I think that would be appropriate."

"Oh, I'm so happy," Constance said. "I'm going to tell your father. We've been waiting so long for the two of you to get together." Before Maura could respond, she had turned to find her husband.

Maura looked over at Jane. "Did she just say that they have been waiting a long time for us to get together?" Maura asked Jane.

"Yeah, I think so," Jane said, equally confused.

"She had only met you twice before this trip…" Maura started.

"And I didn't really think she liked me either time," Jane added.

Maura laughed as she continued, "And my father had never met you. How long could they have…?" Maura trailed off, deep in thought.

They were once again pulled from their bubble when Maura's cousin John called them back for more group pictures; this time with all of the cousins.

By the time they were finally done with pictures, Jane was sure she had had her picture taken more times in the past hour than she had in her entire life up to this point.

After pictures, they made their way down to the ballroom, which was beautifully decorated for Christmas.

"This is amazing," Jane whispered to Maura as they entered.

Maura smiled at Jane's awe. "Would you like something to drink?" Maura asked. "There is an open bar."

"Oh, um, yeah, sure," Jane replied as she tried to pull herself back to the present. She had been so lost in taking in the decorations that she had a hard time processing Maura's question.

Maura laughed. "Why don't you stay here?" she said, pointing to one of the nearby cocktail tables. "I'll get us drinks." She didn't bother to ask Jane what she wanted. Jane was already lost back in her observations of the room and the people around her. Besides, she knew what Jane liked.

Jane was standing at the cocktail table waiting for Maura when Sarah and Margaret walked up. "Have something to share with the class?" Margaret teased.

Jane laughed. "We haven't been lying to you guys. It just happened," she told them.

"I would have thought you were lying if I hadn't seen the little scene between you, Annabelle, and Maura," Margaret told her. "I take it you got together last night? You must be tired."

Jane blushed at the implication. "No, we just went to bed last night. We got together this morning," Jane said.

"Oh my god. Did I interrupt you guys this morning?" Sarah exclaimed.

"No, we were done," Jane said. She had meant that they were done with their conversation, but by Margaret and Sarah's reactions, she realized how it must have sounded. "No, I mean…we didn't…I meant…" Jane tried as her face turned deeper shades of red by the second.

Thankfully, Maura returned with their drinks; she immediately noticed Jane's face, but before she could ask, Jane pleaded, "Maur, help, please!"

Margaret and Sarah were still laughing, but Sarah decided to help Jane. "I was just asking Jane if I interrupted the two of you this morning, but Jane said that you were done," she said.

"Yes, we were," Maura said, matter-of-factly, completely oblivious to what Sarah was implying.

"Maurrrr," Jane whined, but Maura just looked at her in confusion.

"I don't understand…" Maura said.

"They think we had sex," Jane hissed across the table at Maura, trying to pretend that Margaret and Sarah weren't still standing there laughing.

Comprehension dawned on Maura's face. "Oh, no, I can see why you would think that, but we did not have intercourse this morning. In fact, we have not yet consummated our relationship," Maura said in the same way she might share the day's weather.

Jane just groaned and buried her face in her hands. She did not like talking about sex with anyone, let alone her new (well, sort of new) girlfriend's family whom she just met.

"Jane, there is no need to be embarrassed," Maura said. "It's not unusual for a couple to date for a while before having intercourse. However, I'm sure it will be amazing when we do. Your musculature and endurance will come in handy."

"Okay, please stop," Jane cried. Clearly, Maura was misinterpreting her embarrassment. Sarah and Margaret were not, however, and they continued to laugh, barely able to breathe. "That's not…just no…please can we have a different conversation," Jane begged.

"Fine, but I will never understand why you are so uncomfortable talking about sex. It's a very natural thing. Besides, I'm sure you are very good," Maura stated without a hint of embarrassment.

"God stop, please," Jane said again. Maura frowned, but decided to drop the subject. She handed Jane her drink, which Jane nearly downed in her discomfort.

Maura fell into conversation with Sarah and Margaret as Jane tried to recover. Jane, for her part, mostly stayed silent, following the conversation from the sidelines.

Eventually, a soft bell rang out. Jane looked around in confusion, but Maura was immediately at her side. Linking her arm through Jane's, she said, "That's the indication that it's time to sit down for dinner." Maura led Jane to a table near the front, where her parents were already seated. Maura took the seat next to her mother, and Jane sat down on her other side. They were joined by two other couples, who were introduced as Constance's cousins. Jane glanced around the room as everyone was sitting down at their respective tables. She noticed that John and Catherine were seated with their adult children, as were Florence and William. The kids were mixed together at two additional tables. Jane tried to count the tables, but she couldn't get an accurate count without standing up, which didn't seem like the best choice at the moment. She estimated that there had to be upwards of 250 people here though.

As the dishes from the hors-d'oeuvres were cleared and the amuse-bouche was served, conversation turned to how Maura and Jane met.

"We met at work," Jane answered. "I'm a homicide detective with the Boston Police Department, and Maura is the Chief Medical Examiner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which you probably already knew. Anyway, we work a lot of cases together and became friends."

"Jane's being modest," Constance said, surprising both Maura and Jane. "She's one of Boston's best detectives. She was the youngest officer ever to be promoted to detective."

Jane felt Maura's hand on her thigh under the table. She took it in her own and gave it a soft squeeze.

The rest of the 12-course meal passed pleasantly enough; the conversation moving between light topics. The food was among the best Jane had ever had. As the final course was finishing up, a band started playing in the far corner of the ballroom. People started dancing as they finished eating. Jane was content to watch, but Maura wanted to dance.

"Will you dance with me?" Maura asked Jane softly, giving Jane a look she knew her best friend couldn't resist.

"Yes," Jane said, standing up and extending her hand to Maura. Maura took her hand and stood up; Jane led them to the dance floor.

When they reached the dance floor, Jane turned to Maura and pulled her close, wrapping her arms around Maura's waist as Maura laid her arms on Jane's shoulders, around her neck.

They moved together in silence for a few minutes, lost in each other's gaze.

"Thank you," Maura said so only Jane could hear as the first song transitioned to the next.

Jane leaned in to give Maura a soft kiss. Pulling back just a hair, she whispered against Maura's lips, "I love you Maura, so much." Before Maura could say anything more, Jane's lips were back on hers in a soft, sensual kiss.

They stayed that way, lost in their own world, for a few songs. Eventually, they decided to get another drink, taking a seat at one of the smaller tables near the dance floor.

Not long after they had sat down, Beth came up to Jane. "Will you dance with me?" she asked.

Jane laughed lightly and glanced at Maura before responding, "Sure, B."

Beth took her hand and dragged her out onto the dance floor. Jane held onto Beth's hands as they moved (somewhat awkwardly due to their height difference) around the dance floor. The next song was much faster, and a number of the kids started dancing with Jane and Beth.

Maura was still sitting at the table with their drinks, watching Jane with a silly grin on her face. Sarah walked over to sit with Maura.

"Hey," Sarah greeted.

"Hi, Sarah," Maura responded.

"I'm sorry about earlier," Sarah said. "We shouldn't have been teasing Jane."

"Oh," Maura laughed. "It's okay. She teases other people all the time. I think it's time she got a taste of her own medicine."

Sarah laughed. "I'm glad you guys got together. I felt so bad for you after what happened with Annabelle last night, but maybe I shouldn't if it led to this," she said, pointing back and forth between Maura and Jane.

"Yes, I'm so incredibly happy about the change in our relationship status. I do feel bad about what happened last night though," Maura said. "I hope Annabelle is okay."

"I saw her earlier," Sarah said. "I'm guessing she's trying to avoid you."

"I don't want her to feel like she has to avoid me," Maura said. "We could be friends."

Sarah looked at Maura for a few moments before responding. "I don't know if that's a good idea, Maura," Sarah said. "Yes, be nice to her and treat her politely when you do see her, but don't let your big heart ruin what you have with Jane."

"What do you mean?" Maura asked.

"Being friends with an ex, much less an ex who clearly still has feelings for you, isn't a good idea," Sarah explained. "You're just going to make Jane jealous."

"I would never cheat on Jane," Maura said. "And Jane trusts me."

"Do you really want to be friends with Annabelle that badly?" Sarah asked.

Maura was surprised by Sarah's question, but she was starting to realize how her defensiveness about her relationship with Jane was coming off. "No, not really," Maura admitted. "I'm not opposed, but it's not something I actively want, especially if it makes Jane uncomfortable."

"Well, my advice is that the risk isn't worth it. Yeah, Annabelle is nice, but what you have with Jane, that's hard to find," Sarah said.

"I know," Maura confessed quietly. "She means the world to me."

"And I'm pretty sure you mean the world to her," Sarah added, making Maura smile. "You may have some competition though," Sarah joked.

"What?" Maura said quickly, missing Sarah's joking tone.

Sarah pointed to Jane on the dance floor. She was now holding Beth in her arms, one arm keeping her in place on her hip and the other holding out Beth's hand like they were dancing. "I think Beth may try to steal her from you," Sarah teased.

Maura laughed and relaxed. "Yes, I may need to up my game."

Sarah laughed. "I'm really glad you came this year, Maura. I know we have never really been close, but it's been great to catch up and especially to see you this happy. You and Jane are good for each other. I'm really glad you found someone who makes you happy. And apparently, someone who teaches you idioms. The old Maura never would have used the phrase 'up my game.'"

"Thank you," Maura said quietly. "I'm really glad we could catch up too. I hope that we can stay in better contact. And yes, Jane has taught me many idioms and pop culture references."

"Yes, we will stay in contact, and we better be invited to the wedding," Sarah teased.

Maura smiled. "I know that you're somewhat teasing me, and I'm pretty sure that it's way too early to be thinking about weddings – we've only been dating about 12 hours – but somehow, it doesn't feel too soon. I already know I want to marry Jane. I want to spend the rest of my life with her."

"I was only sort of teasing. It's clear to me that you and Jane are meant to be, and I've only known her for a few days. Also, I get the feeling that although you've only been dating officially for half a day, you've been dating unofficially for years. Maybe it's not too fast after all," Sarah said, causing Maura to blush. "I should go save your future wife though."

"Oh, please don't say that to her," Maura said, panicking. "You'll scare her off."

"I won't, but I think she may be less easily frightened than you think," Sarah said as she stood up. "We're going to leave as soon as I can gather the kids. We're all spending the night at Elizabeth and Phillip's so that the kids can wake up together on Christmas morning.

"That's wonderful," Maura said as she stood, as well. "It's been really wonderful to see you," Maura added as she gave Sarah a hug. She sat back down as she watched Sarah approach Jane and Beth. She could see Beth's disappointment to leave Jane, but her heart swelled as the two of them gave each other a big hug. After saying goodbye to Beth and Sarah, Jane returned to sit with Maura.

"Hey," Jane said.

"Hey, yourself," Maura returned. "Looks like I have some competition."

Jane laughed. "Hmm, I don't know. That will be a tough one," she teased, playing along.

They sat together, chatting while they finished their drinks. After they finished, Jane surprised Maura by asking her to dance again. Maura was sure she would never tire of dancing with Jane. As the evening continued, they switched between talking to Maura's family's various guests, spending time just the two of them off to the side, and dancing. As the evening wound down, both Maura and Jane were feeling tired, but happy. Eventually, they found Maura's parents to say goodnight. The party was set to end before midnight, but they wanted to be back in their room well before midnight for their Christmas Eve traditions.

Both Jane and Maura took turns hugging Constance. Jane shook Arthur's hand, but Arthur surprised Maura by giving her a hug. As he held her close, he whispered, "Congratulations, Maura. Your mother and I are so happy for you." Maura had to hold back tears as she pulled back. They wished Maura's parents Merry Christmas before leaving the party hand-in-hand.