A/N: Thanks for the love and sorry for making you all wait so long. :)

For the first time since she began working at The Basement, Jane was apprehensive about walking in the door. When she put her face against the window in an attempt at looking in, she was surprised to find a new girl talking to Jerry. Before Jerry or the new girl could see her, Jane regained her composure, wiped the window, and quietly walked in the door. That should have been Maura, Jane thought as she sized up the girl. Jane had imagined the two of them working together as a team just as she hoped they would when they were in their chosen careers. She imagined her and Maura making a house of cassettes and Maura coming up with some amazing new way of organizing merchandise at the store. When there was downtime, they'd talk to each other or listen to music together and, if there was someone trying to shoplift, Jane had every intention of apprehending him or her in a manner that would both please Jerry and impress Maura. Jane knew there was a possibility that she could grow to like this girl or, if not like her, she could at least tolerate her, but no matter who she was working with it would be nowhere near as enjoyable as working with Maura.

Just as she did at the beginning of every shift, Jane clocked in and made herself comfortable behind the counter near the cash register. There were a few customers in the store, but Jerry's son, the assistant manager, was already helping them. Jerry's son Mitchell was eighteen and, for the most part, Jane liked him except when he was flirting with her. She had told him countless times that she only dated women, yet he refused to give up, so when he became a full-time student at Harvard and an absentee assistant manager, Jane was grateful that she'd rarely have to see him.

As she waited for the customers to decide on their purchases, Jane pulled out her wallet and opened it up to a picture of Maura. I wish she were here. Everything would be better if she were here.

"If who were here?" Mitchell asked.

Jane, completely unaware that she had said that aloud, hurriedly closed her wallet and put in securely in her back pocket. "Maura," she responded. "My wife."

"You're not gay, Jane," Mitchell told her as he placed his hand on top of hers. "You just need to find the right guy."

Had she been anywhere other than The Basement, she would have slapped him across the face or twisted his arm behind his back, but with customers and her boss just a few feet away, Jane calmly removed his hand from on top of hers. "I've already found the right woman," Jane stressed. "Maura is my wife and, not only do I love her, I'm also very physically attracted to her. I'm not sure what the exact definition of gay is but I think me being a woman and being married to a woman makes me pretty damn gay."

Jane sized him up as he rolled his eyes at her. Mitchell was about her height, but very thin. Jane knew she wasn't exactly a body builder, herself, but there was no doubt in her mind that she could take this guy if need be.

As if on cue, a customer approached the register and Jane was relieved to finally have something work-related to do so she wouldn't have to talk to Mitchell. The transaction was quick, but when that customer walked out the door Jane was surprised to see that Maura had entered. The love of her life was bundled up in jeans, snow boots, and a thick jacket. Her ensemble was completed by the olive green beanie Jane had given her months ago and a pair of Jane's gloves. Her nose had become pink from being out in the cold and Jane wanted nothing more than to hold her close until she warmed up.

"You're so cold," Jane said as she rubbed her nose against Maura's.

"I had to park one block away and walk over here," Maura informed her. "I never expected there to be so many last minute Christmas shoppers in the area."

"You braved the cold just to see me?" Jane asked, her lips just centimeters from Maura's.

Forgetting where they were, Maura closed the gap between them and stole a kiss from Jane. "Jane!" Mitchell called out, causing Jane and Maura to pull away from each other. "You have a customer."

Jane knew fully well that Mitchell could have rung up the customer, himself, but once she saw how he was glaring at her she knew this was about more than a customer waiting to be rung up. Jane may have been making small talk with the customer, but her mind was on the adorable beanie-wearing, red nosed young woman who was looking at her from near the counter.

"I love you," Jane mouthed as her customer was writing out a check.

"I love you more," Maura mouthed in response.

"BCU," Mitchell scoffed once he saw the crewneck sweatshirt Maura was wearing underneath her jacket.

"Which school do you attend?" Maura asked. She had wanted to be polite, but once she realized whom she was talking to, all she wanted to do was slap him for giving Jane a hard time.

"Harvard," he responded.

"Harvard?" Maura asked. "I was going to attend Harvard. I was accepted to their life sciences department, early acceptance, actually, but I turned them down once I received my letter from BCU. Harvard is more of a safety school."

"Harvard is a safety school?" Mitchell asked in disbelief. "I don't believe that you were actually admitted."

"Yes," Maura told him. "Harvard practically courted me. I honestly didn't have to try to get in there. I'm sorry for not introducing myself earlier, but I'm Maura, Maura Rizzoli—Jane Rizzoli's wife."

Jane had overheard their entire conversation and had she not already been married to Maura, she knew she would have proposed to her right then and there. I love this woman, Jane thought as she smiled at her.

"Jane!" Jerry called out. "I need to talk to you."

Jane took a deep breath before walking over to him. She was unsure of what their talk would be about, but she couldn't help focusing on the worst-case scenario. Was he upset with her? Was he going to fire her for kissing Maura in front of customers? Whatever it was, Jane didn't want to find out.

"Hi, I'm Jane," Jane said as she held out her hand to the new girl who was still standing next to Jerry.

"Bethany," she responded. "But you can call me Buckle. Everyone at school does. It's time for me to clock out. I'll see you later, Jane."

"Later," Jane said nonchalantly. The new girl may have seemed friendly, but Jane wasn't about to let her guard down just yet. She's still the girl who took the position from Maura.

"She's only sixteen," Jerry informed her once Buckle was clocking out. "I told her some of the ins and outs of this place, but I was hoping you could take her under your wing. She reminds me a lot of you."

"She's nothing like me," Jane responded as she glanced at the girl who was wearing ripped jeans and an oversized thermal. When she grabbed a skateboard and tied her unruly hair in a ponytail, Jane realized there might have been some truth in what Jerry had told her. "Okay, so she's kind of like me. She's still perky, though. It's like the weight of the world has yet to crush her spirit."

"What is it with you Gen X-ers?" Jerry asked as he shook his head. "I think it's that damn music you listen to. And I'm sure she'll learn your patented brand of Jane Rizzoli sarcasm before long."

"My sarcasm is an art, Jerry," Jane began. "I so finely craft my insults and—"

"Jane, shut up," Jerry interrupted. "There's a reason I called you over. I love my son, but I don't want him here. He complains too much, he doesn't want to do anything, and—let's face it—he focuses more on himself than the job, which is why I fired him under false pretenses."

"False pretenses?" Jane asked.

"I told him he should concentrate on school instead of working full time," Jerry said nonchalantly. "Not like he ever shows up here to begin with."

"Nice cover up," Jane responded.

"Anyway," Jerry continued. "I'm going to need another assistant manager—someone who knows this place inside and out, someone who is a hard worker, maybe someone who just got married and needs a full time job so she could get an apartment and support her wife."

"Me?" Jane asked in disbelief.

"Is there another married teenager on my payroll?"

"No," Jane beamed. "Thank you! You don't know how much this means to me. Maura and I are going to be okay. We're actually going to be okay. I can get an apartment for us and pay the bills and buy groceries and—"

"And this is why I'm giving you the position," Jerry pointed out. "You're a hard worker, Jane, and you're dedicated. You're dedicated to your job, but you're especially dedicated to your wife."

"Can I tell her?" Jane asked. "It's going to be a huge weight off her shoulders, too."

Jerry affectionately put a hand on Jane's shoulder. "She already knows. Why do you think she's here?"

Jane turned around to see Maura smiling at her. "She's having a hard time containing her excitement," Jane told him. "Can I go give her a hug?"

"I'll tell you what," Jerry smiled. "Take the rest of the night off to go celebrate with her. It's my Christmas gift to you, but I want you to report back bright and early on the 26th."

"Yes, sir," Jane responded. "Thank you!"

After Jane clocked out and gathered her belongings, the two of them walked outside hand-in-hand. She had thought about giving her a hug, but instead Jane lifted her up and spun her around until Maura couldn't stop giggling. "We're going to be okay!" Jane told her.

"I always knew we would be," Maura said once Jane had stopped spinning and began to cradle her. "I never stopped believing in you, Jane."

As the snow lightly began to fall, Jane carried Maura to a nearby coffee shop to buy something warm for her to drink. People stared at the two of them as they passed by, but they were too wrapped up in each other to notice. There were still two days left until Christmas, but Jane felt as if she had already received everything she could ever ask for. She was holding the love of her life and she was filled with so much hope for their future.