Chapter 3: Christmas Tree

A/N: Okay, I probably should have mentioned this at the beginning, but this story requires a certain amount of suspension of disbelief regarding how fast their relationship is moving (especially given that a kid is involved). But we all know that Jane and Maura are meant to be together, so just go with it. {wink} Oh, and for a funny personal anecdote re: how fast relationships move, see the author's note at the end of the chapter.

Unfortunately, the next few weeks are looking VERY BUSY at school/work, so I promise to post when I can, but it will probably continue to be less frequently than I'd prefer for a little longer.

Twenty-two days until Christmas
Monday, December 3rd
Jane

Jane smirked as soon as Maura and Alexis opened the front door to let her in, but before Jane could even say hello, Alexis had jumped into Jane's arms.

"Jaannneeeee!" she squealed excitedly.

Jane lifted and spun Alexis in a circle as she greeted, "Hey, Lexi, baby. How are you?"

"I missed you," Alexis said, causing Jane to chuckle.

"I'm happy to see you, too," Jane replied as she placed Alexis back down on her feet and stepped inside. "Are you excited to go find a Christmas tree?"

"Yes!" Alexis said happily.

"I think excited might be an understatement," Maura said with a laugh. "It's all she's talked about since you left on Saturday. Hi, Jane," she added after a brief pause.

"Hey," Jane greeted. "So, um, you look great, but you're gonna freeze," she added with a smirk. Maura was wearing a sweater dress over black tights with knee high boots.

Maura had the most adorable pout on her face as she looked down at her outfit. "I figured with the sweater and the boots…it's not that cold outside," she said defensively. Her eyes met Jane's amused ones, and she gave in instantly, "Okay, fine, I'm going to go change."

Once Jane had finally convinced Maura that they should take her car – because she was not going to be responsible for the tree scratching Maura's absurdly expensive car – and transferred the booster seat, they started their drive out of the city.

"So, where are we getting this tree?" Maura asked, now dressed in a thick sweater and fitted jeans – an outfit Jane found equally, if not more, appealing than her first outfit.

"We're going to a cut your own tree farm just north of the city," Jane said.

"Sounds good," Maura said.

They chatted lightly for a while with Alexis in the backseat, pointing out everything she saw along the side of the road. When Jane thought she might lose her mind if Alexis pointed out another crack in the road, she decided to change the subject. "Alright, doctor, what Christmas tree facts can you regale us with today?" she said to Maura teasingly.

"The modern Christmas tree dates back to Germany during the Renaissance, but there are similar traditions that predated the tradition in Germany. Most notably in Livonia – or modern-day Estonia and Latvia. The tradition came to North America during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries," Maura said quietly and unenthusiastically, never looking away from the window.

Jane was confused by Maura's lack of engagement, but she didn't push the other woman. Maybe she didn't know much about Christmas trees. Jane hadn't been trying to stump her or trick her. She genuinely liked when Maura would get all animated and excited to share her knowledge.

Luckily, not long after this, they pulled into the tree farm.

Maura

"There are so many options," Maura said, looking at the sign directing customers to different areas of the tree farm based on what type of Christmas tree they were looking for. "Douglas fir, Fraser fir, Balsam fir…" Maura read the entire list. "How are we supposed to know which kind to get?"

"Douglas fir," Jane said.

"What? How do you know?" Maura asked, turning to look at Jane in surprise.

"It's the best," she said simply.

"How do you know? In what ways is it the best?" Maura rattled off questions.

Jane shrugged and smiled at Maura. "I just know," she said. "Come on, Douglas firs are this way!" And without waiting for a response, Jane turned to walk to the field that was full of Douglas firs.

"Yes!" Alexis yelled happily, running to watch up to Jane.

Maura rolled her eyes and followed.

"We're gonna get the biggest and best tree!" Jane told Alexis excitedly as they walked through the rows of evergreens. Maura was looking around at the vast field of trees surrounding them. She had honestly been expecting something that looked more like a forest, but the tree farm was primarily made up of rows and rows of neatly planted trees.

"What happens to the small ones?" Maura asked, as they passed some more ragged looking trees.

"Well, I'm guessing some are still growing for future years," Jane said. "But I'm guessing at some point, they get turned into wreaths and woodchips or whatever."

"Really?" Maura said. Her voice sounded so sad that Jane stopped walking and turned around to face Maura.

"Oh, my god!" Jane exclaimed, laughing hard. "You're Charlie Brown!"

Alexis's face scrunched up adorably as she said, "Who?"

"Oh, I'm familiar with the 'Peanuts' comic strip," Maura said happily. "He has that cute dog, Snuffy."

"Snoopy," Jane corrected with a laugh. "But close enough."

"Who're you talking about?" Alexis asked again, not thrilled at having been ignored for a brief moment.

"Charlie Brown is a cartoon character," Jane said. "First it was a comic strip called 'Peanuts' like your mom said, but then they made movies. Have you seen It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown or A Charlie Brown Christmas?"

Alexis looked over at her mom, who answered, "No, I don't think I've ever seen any of those movies. Although, I was aware that various holiday Charlie Brown specials exist." She smiled briefly before her face fell slightly. "Wait, why am I Charlie Brown?"

"Cus in the Christmas one he buys the sad Christmas tree, and everyone makes fun of him, but then, they realize the true meaning of Christmas, and his friends buy all the sad trees for him," Jane said, gesturing to the tree Maura had been referring to earlier.

"Well, I'm not going to buy them," Maura pouted. "But I might buy a wreath," she added with a smirk.

"Alright, deal," Jane said, turning to continue walking through the rows of trees with Alexis skipping alongside her. Maura stayed a few steps behind them, but she couldn't help smiling at the two of them together. Alexis was beyond thrilled and having a great time. Maura had to admit that she was enjoying herself as well.

Maura mostly kept quiet as Jane and Alexis analyzed tree after tree before finding the right one. Jane seemed to know what she was looking for, while Alexis just repeated what Jane said from one tree to the next. Maura was impressed with how patient Jane was with Alexis. Alexis was frequently wrong about whatever she said about a particular tree since she was repeating whatever Jane said about the previous tree, but Jane never made her feel bad about it. Instead, Jane patiently showed Alexis exactly what she was looking at, each and every time.

"Do you think this is the one?" she heard Jane ask Alexis.

Alexis nodded her head vigorously, an adorable smile lighting up her face.

"Whad'ya think, Maur?" Jane asked, looking up at Maura from below, where she was squatting at Alexis's height. Maura's stomach fluttered in response to the unexpected intensity in Jane's eyes. Her dark chocolate eyes were sparkling in the morning sun, and her smile reached her eyes, making her look even more beautiful than usual.

Maura was having trouble transmitting words from her brain to her mouth, so instead, she just smiled and nodded.

"Alright, this is sharp," Jane said to Alexis, holding up the saw. "So, I need you to stay back, okay?"

"Can I help?" Alexis asked.

"At the end, you can help me pull it the last bit, okay? But while I'm using the saw, you have to stay back," Jane said.

"Okay," Alexis said resignedly.

"Promise?" Jane asked. "Cus I need to know you're safe."

"Promise!" Alexis said, her mood instantly turning around when Jane made her instructions seem important.

"'Kay, stand there, okay?" Jane said, showing Alexis exactly where to stand.

"Wait, can we take a few pictures with the tree before you cut it down?" Maura asked.

"Oh, yeah, good idea!" Jane said. "Lexi, stand by your mom, and I'll get a picture with the two of you."

"What about you?" Alexis asked as she skipped over to stand with Maura.

"We can take a few selfies too," Jane said. "But let's get you two first." Not only did they take selfies of the three of them, but they took pictures of Jane and Alexis together and Jane and Maura together. A passing couple even offered to take a few pictures of the three of them.

"You have a beautiful family," the woman told Maura as she handed back her phone. Jane was too busy showing Alexis where to stand to hear the comment. Maura blushed and briefly wondered if she should correct the woman, but in the end, she decided she didn't mind.

"Thank you," Maura said quietly before turning back to Jane and Alexis.

"Um, Maur, can you help by holding the tree and pulling it towards you when I tell you to?" Jane asked.

"Sure!" Maura said, happy to help.

It didn't take long for them to cut down the tree. Jane dragged it back to the front of the tree farm.

"Why don't you guys get some coffee or whatever from the café while I get the tree shaken…shooken…shook-sh-. Whatever," Jane laughed. "While they shake the needles out."

"Sounds good," Maura said. "You want coffee? Cream and sugar?"

"Just cream please," Jane replied.

"Alright, come on Alexis," Maura said, reaching out her hand to take Alexis's hand.

"I wanna stay with Jane," Alexis whined.

Maura opened her mouth to say no, but Jane was faster.

"I'm sorry, Lexi, but I need you to go with your mom, okay? There's too much going on over here for me to be able to handle the tree and make sure you're safe," Jane said.

"Alright," Alexis conceded, taking her mom's hand.

"Let's get Jane a treat to say thank you for doing all the work to cut down the tree," Maura said to Alexis.

"Can I get a treat for helping?" Alexis asked.

"Sure, sweetie," Maura said with a laugh.

Jane

Jane had forgotten just how much work putting up a Christmas tree actually was. After she had the tree cleaned up, covered with a net, and tied to the car, she joined Maura and Alexis to share coffee, hot chocolate, and popcorn (Maura had said no to Alexis having hot chocolate and donuts…too much sugar).

Maura made lunch for all three of them while Jane set up the tree in the brand-new tree stand. She also tied the string around the trunk of the tree that she would eventually secure to the wall, but it was easier to get the lights on the tree before tying it up. She filled the base with warm water before going to wash up.

"It's best to let the tree settle a bit – let the branches fall back into place from being tied up – before we put the lights on," Jane said as she joined Alexis and Maura in the kitchen.

"Perfect," Maura said. "Because lunch is ready."

"Can I sit at the end again?" Alexis asked as she jumped down from the island seat.

"Sure, darling," Maura said, smiling at Jane in amusement.

As they dug into their lunch, Alexis's eyes drifted over to the tree. "It's so pretty," she whispered in awe.

Maura and Jane both turned to look at the tree too. "It really is perfect," Maura admitted. Jane wasn't quite sure why, but Maura's words made her really happy. She loved that something that felt simple to her seemed to mean a lot to both Maura and Alexis. It warmed her heart.

After lunch, Maura told Alexis, "It's time for your nap."

"Noooo!" Alexis whined. "I wanna decorate the tree!"

"Oh, no, kid, you got it good. Putting up the lights is soooo boring. Putting up the ornaments is the best part. This way, you get to sleep through the boring part, and when you wake up all refreshed from your nap, the tree will be ready for the ornaments," Jane said.

Alexis seemed to consider Jane's words for a moment before asking, "Promise you'll wait for me before you put on any ornaments?"

"Promise!" Jane said firmly.

"Okay, then," Alexis said, heading towards the stairs.

"I'll be right back," Maura said quietly to Jane before going upstairs with Alexis to help her get in bed for her nap.

Jane walked over to the piles of lights and ornaments that Maura and Alexis had piled up in the living room. She was opening a few of the boxes of lights when Maura returned to the living room.

"I think she was asleep before I left the room," Maura said. "All the fresh air and activity really tired her out."

"That's a good thing, right?" Jane asked with a laugh.

"Yes, she had so much fun today. Really, thank you, Jane. We both had a wonderful time today."

"You don't have to thank me," Jane replied, turning towards the tree to hide her blush. "I had fun, too."

"Did your family go somewhere like that every year to cut down a Christmas tree?" Maura asked, leaning against the arm of the living room chair.

"Yeah," Jane replied reminiscently. "When I was really little, and Frankie was a baby, just me and my pop would go. As we got older, it changed who went year-to-year, but we always had a real tree. I can't really remember where we'd go, but it definitely wasn't as formal or as organized as the place we went today.

"Uh, do you have a stepstool?" Jane asked.

"Oh, yes, I should have thought of that," Maura said quickly, jumping up. "I'll be right back."

They worked together in silence for a while. Maura would hold the string of lights while Jane placed them around the tree, making sure to fill in every part of the tree from top to bottom. After a while, Jane's memory returned to something that had confused her earlier.

"Maur, can I ask you something?" Jane asked quietly without taking her eyes from the tree.

"Sure. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, well, I hope so. I guess…I mean, that's basically what I was going to ask you…"

"I don't understand," Maura replied, her tone expressing her confusion. "Today has been wonderful."

"No, I know," Jane assured her. "It's just…earlier, when we were at the tree farm, I asked you what you knew about the history of Christmas trees, and you got all quiet. I was just giving you a hard time; I'm sorry if I upset you."

Maura let go of the string of lights she was holding. She remained quiet as Jane stepped away from the tree to give Maura her full attention.

"I'm really sorry, Maura. I had no intention of upsetting you."

"No, you didn't. At least, not then. I mean, not at all really…" Maura mumbled. She took a deep breath. "I know I have a tendency to overshare facts, and I know that can be really annoying. I…well, I'm really enjoying spending time with you, and I know I can be tiring to be around. I don't want to drive you away."

"Oh, Maura," Jane said sadly. "You have not once annoyed me since we met. Don't worry, though, I'm sure we'll both annoy each other at some point because I plan on being around for a long time, and at some point, annoying each other will become inevitable. But I hate the fact that I made you feel like you couldn't be yourself. Honestly, I love how smart you are. I enjoy listening to you. What did I do to make you think otherwise?"

Maura crossed her arms in front of her chest protectively as she stared past Jane. "You looked at me oddly when I started talking about the history of children getting coal in their stockings," she admitted quietly.

It took Jane a moment to realize what Maura was referring to, but when she did, a sense of relief passed through her. "Oh, no, that wasn't it at all," she said. "I was actually kinda impressed, but I looked at you like that because I didn't know if you realized that you were basically telling Alexis that Santa doesn't exist – that he's a myth."

"Well, he is a myth," Maura said, scrunching her face in confusion.

"I know, but…you mean, she doesn't believe in Santa?" Jane asked.

"I-I don't know," Maura said. "We…I've never done the Santa thing with her, but we also haven't talked about Santa not being real. I suppose, I didn't plan to lie to her, but…" Maura trailed off.

"But believing in Santa is part of being a kid," Jane said. "I mean, I'm not going to tell you how to parent – clearly you're a great mom, and I know nothing about parenting – but I guess I think kids should get to experience some of that magic."

"I do want her to experience everything I missed out on during my childhood."

"Your parents didn't do Santa?"

"No. We never talked about it one way or another, but I never received gifts from Santa. My parents gave me Christmas gifts, of course, but…"

"Look, I get not wanting to lie to your kid, but I also kinda feel like Santa isn't about lying. Like, okay, yes, the man doesn't actually come down your chimney and deliver presents, but isn't Santa really more about the spirit of giving? The spirit of the holidays?

"Children are too young to understand the abstract concepts, so parents embody that spirit in the concept of Santa Claus," Jane said.

"That's…that's beautiful," Maura nearly whispered. "And quite profound."

"I still have some surprises up my sleeves," Jane teased to lighten the mood.

"Will you help me?" Maura asked, finally meeting Jane's eyes.

"Sure, but with what?"

Maura chuckled. "I like how you agreed before you knew what I was asking."

Jane just shrugged. She couldn't help it; she knew she wasn't going to say no.

"I want Alexis to have this experience, but I'm a terrible liar. In fact, I can't lie," Maura said.

"What do you mean you can't lie?"

"I get hives, and if it goes on long enough or is a big enough lie, I go vasovagal." When Jane just looked at her in confusion, Maura added, "I faint."

"Okay, that sucks," Jane said, causing Maura to laugh.

"I also don't exactly know how to do the Santa thing," Maura admitted.

"I like how you keep calling it 'the Santa thing,'" Jane said, using her fingers to make air quotes when she said, 'the Santa thing.' "Okay, so what do you want me to do?"

"I…will you teach Alexis about Santa? Will you teach both of us about Santa?" Maura asked, vulnerability lacing her voice.

"Really?" Jane asked excitedly. "I'd love to!"

"Really?" Maura echoed Jane's question.

"Yes, really!"

"Thank you, Jane," Maura said. "I think I can skirt around the truth by thinking of Santa as an embodiment of the spirit of Christmas, but if you could tell her about the specifics, I would be forever grateful."

"Oh, I'm so excited!" Jane exclaimed.

"Honestly, I am, too," Maura admitted.

"Okay, we gotta finish the lights before Alexis wakes up," Jane said, turning back to the tree. "Shit!" she said under her breath as her hands seized up when she reached for the next string of lights.

"What's wrong?" Maura asked quickly, concern evident in her voice.

"It's nothing," Jane said, trying to hide her hands. "I'm…uh, I'm going to be right back."

"Jane, wait," Maura said, grabbing Jane's elbow as she tried to walk away. Her eyes bored into Jane's. "Please, Jane, let me?" she whispered as she slid her hand down Jane's arm to her hand slowly, giving her time to pull away if she wanted to.

Maura didn't take her eyes off of Jane's as she gently grasped Jane's left hand with both of hers. When Maura started gently massaging her hand, Jane couldn't help it; her eyes slipped closed. She kept her eyes closed as Maura worked out the pain and stiffness in her hand in complete silence. She was afraid if she moved an inch or opened her eyes, she would burst into tears – tears of fear or tears of relief, she wasn't sure. Maybe both.

When Maura let go of her left hand and moved to her right hand, Jane opened and closed her left hand a few times before finally opening her eyes and looking down at her hand. She wasn't sure if her hands had ever felt this good since the attack.

When Maura finally finished her massage of Jane's right hand, she paused to squeeze Jane's hand reassuringly with both hands. Jane finally lifted her gaze to meet Maura's eyes. "Thank you," she whispered thickly.

"Maybe we should finish the tree another day," Maura said quietly. "I hate that something like this is causing you pain."

"They feel better now," Jane replied, just as quietly. "I want to finish…for Alexis…and for you…but also for myself."

Maura nodded before pulling Jane in for a hug. "Okay, but will you please let me massage your hands at least one more time before you leave tonight? I'll do it anytime you need to want me to."

Jane nodded against Maura's shoulder. They didn't say anything else about it as they returned to the tree. They finished a little before Alexis awoke from her nap, so Maura made them both a cup of tea.

"It's soooo pretty!" Alexis said when she returned to the living room. "Thank you for waiting for me to put on the ornaments!" Alexis hugged Jane's legs.

"I also saved the star for you to put on the top," Jane said, picking up the star from where she had set it on the coffee table. "Do you want to do that first or last?"

"Now!" Alexis said quickly, her eyes twinkling in the lights of the tree.

Jane chuckled. "Alright, I'm going to lift you onto my shoulders, okay? Can you hold onto the star?"

Alexis nodded as she took the star from Jane. Jane lifted the little girl onto her shoulders and told her how to attach the star and plug it into the string of lights so that it too lit up. Neither of them noticed that Maura was videoing and taking pictures of the entire interaction.

The three of them had a wonderful evening decorating the tree. They paused for a pizza dinner before putting the finishing touches on the tree.

"Okay, one last thing," Jane said. "Maur, do you have any sharpies?"

"Of course," Maura said, walking to the desk that sat against the back of the couch. "What is the sharpie for?" she asked as she handed Jane a black marker.

"So, when we were growing up, my pop would always cut a piece off the bottom of the trunk. I kinda cheated and asked the guys working at the tree farm if they'd cut off a piece when they cleaned up the tree and wrapped it. They also drilled a hole in it for me," Jane explained. "So, anyway, you both get to write your names on the piece of trunk and the year. Then, we run a string through the hole, and it becomes an ornament. Each year, you make a new one, and eventually, you have a whole collection of ornaments with a little piece of each year's Christmas tree.

"Oh, I love that idea!" Maura said. Jane handed her both the marker and piece of trunk.

"Here, you can sign it first. I also brought a piece of twine, so let me grab it," Jane said.

Maura kneeled next to the coffee table and wrote the year on the top before writing her name. She gave the marker to Alexis and showed her where to write her name. When Jane returned, Alexis handed her the marker.

"Oh, thank you, bug, but I think you'll want this to just be a family thing," Jane said quietly.

But to Jane's delight, Maura quashed that notion immediately, "Don't be silly, Jane. Add your name."

Jane smiled brightly. Alexis wrapped her arms around Jane's shoulders as she wrote her name next to Maura's before stringing the twine through the hole. She handed it to Alexis. "I think you should put it on the tree," she said.

Alexis smiled and took the ornament. She circled the tree multiple times, trying to find the perfect location for this special ornament.

Maura chuckled lightly as she stepped closer to Jane. She slipped her arm around Jane and hugged her close. "Thank you," Maura whispered, lifting herself onto her tiptoes to kiss Jane's cheek.

Jane's cheeks flushed instantly, and she wrapped her own arm around Maura and returned the side hug. Their embrace was broken when Alexis turned around and asked, "Jane, will you lift me up? I wanna put it up higher."

Jane laughed. "Sure, Lex. Always."

A/N: When I was in late middle school or early high school (i.e., that awkward age where you can't drive, but you can go places with your friends without adult supervision, lol), I went to see the movie The Prince and Me in theaters. When my mom picked me up, she asked me how I liked it. I told her that I liked it, but it was really unrealistic because they (the main characters) got engaged after only knowing each other for three months. Well, my mom burst out laughing. She was like, "uh, dad and I got engaged after three months." And apparently, neither family thought it was too fast! There were no kids involved though. They've been married over 37 years now, so I guess, when you know, you know.

Douglas firs are the best Christmas trees. Actually, I don't really have a strong opinion about the more common types of Christmas trees. Douglas firs are the most common Christmas trees in the US. A lot of people prefer Balsam firs and for years my family preferred Fraser firs. One year, my mom (who despite this story is actually very smart) insisted that the previous year we had an Australian fir (not a thing – there is a tree called an Australian Christmas tree but that's different and not at all what she was talking about) and she wanted that again.