A/N: Sorry about the delay in updates, but I'd like to say an extra special thank you to those who have decided to stick with this story. :)

Christmas with the Rizzoli family was unlike anything Maura had ever experienced. As she did every morning, Maura expected to feel her wife's arms wrapped around her and their kitten fast asleep at the foot of their bed, but when she woke up she saw neither Chrissy nor Jane in the room with her. She listened to the sound of her new family talking downstairs and, for a while, she considered joining them, but she worried about imposing on any family traditions.

Maura looked at her pajamas sprawled in a messy pile on the floor. Jane had taken them off of her the previous night along with her own and carelessly tossed them aside. Although she had seen Jane place small gifts in her stocking, she had pretended to be asleep when Jane returned.

"I know you're awake," Jane pointed out. "You can't lie to me, Maura."

It was Maura who had initiated their kissing, but Jane who wanted to take it to the next level. She was more attentive to her than ever before and her focus was on Maura's pleasure before her own. Jane had promised her a better marriage and she had every intention of keeping her promise. They were going to communicate more and argue less. They were going to be each other's priority and not let anybody get in between them whether it was their friends or their family. Jane and Maura were young, but they were already branching out into their own little family and Jane wanted to be as nurturing to her wife as she could possibly be.

Before Maura could put her pajamas on, Jane barged into their room with a candy cane in hand. "Merry First Christmas Together, Maurwife. I brought you a candy cane."

Her excitement to see Jane made her forget that her pajamas were still on the floor as she got up to hug her wife. "Merry First Christmas Together, Janewife. I love you."

Jane handed the candy cane over to Maura and lifted her up. "You should greet me naked every morning for the rest of our lives."

"Bring me a candy cane and I will."

"That's all it takes?"

Maura was going to make a comment about not being bought so easily, but while holding her Jane slipped on Maura's pajamas and sent them both tumbling onto their bed.

"You did that on purpose," Jane pointed out. "You strategically placed your pajamas there so I could land on top of you."

"And nearly smash me in the process," Maura added. The placement of her pajamas was far from strategic, but now that she had her wife on her she didn't want to let her go.

Jane pretended to wiggle free, but Maura knew she didn't want her to let go either. "I like you naked."

Maura twirled a strand of Jane's dark hair around her finger. "I know you do."

"But you can't be naked for long," Jane mumbled. "You have presents to open."

Maura had opened the presents her parents had sent her, but she hadn't expected any gifts from her new family. Mr. and Mrs. Rizzoli had given her a home and, most importantly, they had given her Jane. Their daughter's hand in marriage was more than enough, but Frank and Angela wanted Maura to feel like one of the family.

The word presents brought out the child in Maura and she put her pajamas on as quickly as she could. For the first time in her life, Maura ran downstairs on Christmas morning and felt so much warmth and comfort. Instead of the uncomfortable silence or constant nitpicking she experienced with her parents, Maura saw the entire Rizzoli family save for Jane talking and laughing and opening their gifts.

"Way to wait for us," Jane said sarcastically.

"You're eighteen and a married woman now," Angela pointed out. "We thought you'd consider yourself too cool to open presents with your family."

"Jane's not too cool for anything," Tommy chimed in.

"Jane's not even cool," Frankie added.

Jane wrapped her arms around Maura from behind. "I don't care because every morning I get to wake up next to this beautiful girl and you two don't even have girlfriends."

"I still don't think this is real," Tommy turned to say to Angela. "Jane couldn't get a date all throughout high school and then she suddenly meets a girl—a hot girl at that—and this hot girl marries her. I think she's paying Maura."

Maura knew her wife was going to come up with a sarcastic comment or an insult that would lead to even more banter between her and Tommy, but instead Jane held her even closer and kissed her cheek. "She's not paying me," Maura responded. "I love Jane and I love loving Jane."

"Gross," Tommy shook his head. "Jane's supposed to say something and I'm supposed to say something back. It's a thing we have."

"Tommy, just open your presents," Jane said between sharing kisses with Maura.

"I love you," Maura whispered into Jane's ear.

Jane responded by lifting her up and carrying her over to the couch. She knew their playfulness and displays of affection weren't what the Rizzoli family was used to seeing from Jane, but they were grateful that Jane's attitude had changed. In the months since she had met Maura, Jane had grown up and accepted more responsibilities and, most importantly, she was the happiest her parents had ever seen her.

Jane had expected individual gifts; a knitted sweater or a cute handbag for Maura and maybe some CDs or video games for herself, but when they were handed a present labeled, 'Jane and Maura' Jane became hesitant to open it.

"This box is too big to be CDs or video games," Jane pointed out. "Unless it's a new console."

Maura playfully pinched her wife. "Jane."

Hoping for the best, Jane ripped through the wrapping paper and revealed a boxed set of plates, bowls, and mugs. "Dishes," Jane groaned.

Maura took the box from her wife. "We have a set of dishes now!"

"Is this a hint, Ma?" Jane quipped. "You want us gone already?"

Angela gave her daughter a confused look. "Didn't Maura tell you?"

"What was Maura supposed to tell me?"

"It's about your gift," Maura explained. "Your gift that I was going to give you when we're alone." Maura noticed Jane's cheeks start to redden. "No, no, Jane. It's not sex. It's an actual gift. Not that making love isn't a gift for both of us but—"

Jane put her hand over her wife's mouth. "She's just joking," she said to her family.

"It's Maura," Tommy emphasized. "She's not joking."

"How about you open the present from the four of us?" Jane suggested to her parents in hopes of changing the subject.

The gift Frank and Angela opened was the framed portrait of the four of them dressed as Rambo. Out of every Christmas portrait they had ever taken, this was without a doubt Jane's favorite. Maura fit in so well with the three of them and she hoped this was only the first portrait out of the many they'd pose for in the future. Jane even debated letting Maura choose next year's theme, but when her wife reacted so excitedly to the book about tortoises that Frank and Angela had given her, she decided picking the theme herself would be their best bet.

"Jane, can we get a tortoise?" Maura asked as she showed Jane a picture of a tortoise in her book.

"Ma, look what you started by getting her this book." Jane tried to be upset, but she just held onto her wife's hand and knew it would only be a matter of time before they had a kitten and a tortoise.

As much as Jane liked spending Christmas with her parents and her brothers, she couldn't wait for them to leave so she could be alone with Maura. Jane didn't have anything too exciting planned for the two of them, but it was the first time Maura had a stocking and she wanted to see the look on her face when she opened each little gift she had chosen for her.

"Chrissy should open hers first," Maura suggested.

"Yeah," Jane agreed. "The kids always open their gifts first."

The gifts they had purchased for her were a new ball of yarn, cat treats, and a new ball. Chrissy's gifts were placed in a stocking and she managed to squeeze herself into the stocking and pull out her new ball. When she began to bat it back and forth between her paws, Jane and Maura knew they had chosen the right gifts for her. Their little kitten was going to be entertained for hours and just watching her was entertaining them, too.

"I want you to open yours first," Maura insisted.

"I'll open one and then you open your stocking."

Jane tore through the wrapping paper of her gift and saw that her wife had bought her a Game Boy Pocket and a couple of games for it. Jane's eyes shifted between the Game Boy and her wife and she had a sudden urge to kiss her wife. Instead of a single kiss, Jane playfully tackled Maura and repeatedly kissed her on the cheek. "You beautiful woman," she said as Maura giggled. "How did you know?"

"Jane," Maura began. "You showed me the advertisement in the magazine everyday and said, 'It fits in your pocket. They shrank it so it could fit in your pocket.' You weren't exactly subtle."

"Let's test it," Jane said as she grabbed the box and gave Maura a chance to sit up. Like she had hoped, the Game Boy fit perfectly in the pocket of her jeans. "Maur, it fits!"

Christmas was bringing out the child-like side of her wife, which made Maura feel as if she could fall in love with Jane all over again. She was grateful for everything Jane had done for her, but mostly for the chance to spend the rest of her life with Jane and celebrate every holiday together.

"Open yours," Jane insisted.

The gifts Jane had chosen for her were small, but meaningful. Inside was Maura's favorite shade of lipstick, a mix tape of the songs she listened to when she was with her friends, and a personalized compact mirror.

"I made the mirror," Jane bragged. "Well I didn't make the mirror, but I decorated it. Open it up."

Maura opened the mirror and instead of seeing her reflection, she saw a note attached. "You're beautiful just the way you are," Maura read aloud.

"In case you ever need a reminder," Jane smiled.

"I love it…and you," Maura blushed. "How did you know about the songs I listen to with the girls?"

"I listen to you sometimes," Jane teased. "I know how much you miss your friends and this way you can have something to remind you of the good times you have with them. I made tapes for the three of them, too."

Maura felt the tears start to pool in the corners of her eyes. "Jane."

"No crying," Jane insisted. "If you cry, then I'll cry and we'll both be a mess."

"I won't cry if you open your next present," Maura insisted. She grabbed a small box from next to Chrissy's stocking and handed it to Jane. "I hope you like it more than the Game Boy."

"The Game Boy is hard to top," Jane told her. "Unless, inside this box is a tiny piece of lingerie that you plan on wearing tonight."

"Jane," Maura rolled her eyes.

"Maura," Jane mimicked.

"Open it."

Jane opened the box to reveal a single key. She tried to figure out its meaning, was it symbolic or was it a key that opened something, Jane wasn't sure. "Is this the key to your heart?" Jane asked.

"No," Maura smiled. "It's the key to our new apartment. We were approved for family housing. It's a special section of BCU student housing reserved for married students and students with children. We can move in at the start of the semester."

"We have a place?" Jane asked in disbelief. "We actually have a place?"

"We have a place," Maura reassured her. "Does that top the Game Boy?"

"A little," Jane teased.

After Maura opened her next present, the two of them spent the rest of the afternoon playing with Chrissy before going outside to play in the snow. They felt like children again and as they looked at Christmas lights while walking hand-in-hand that night, both Jane and Maura felt so fortunate that this was only the first of many Christmases they'd spend together.