Author's note: thank you very much for all your reviews and messages (I'm a bit in a hurry this morning so I'll reply to you all in the evening, sorry for the delay)

Chapter Eighteen – The Birthday Girl

Jane made a step backwards and observed the living-room with attention. The final result wasn't bad at all even if she thought that they still could add a couple of skulls on the fireplace.

"Halloween in August. I'd have never thought I'd get to see this one day." Catherine laughed and went to sit down on the couch. "I love it!"

Jane's pout melted into a smile. She turned around and nodded at the young woman. Catherine was more than eight-month pregnant but she had nonetheless come to help her prepare everything. It was very nice from her and she must have been exhausted now. Yet she wasn't complaining and kept on joking around.

Jane grabbed a bottle of water and held it out to her. The summer was particularly hot, Catherine must have been living a nightmare.

"Maura has never had any themed birthday party so... You know... About time! She'll probably tell us that the skeletons aren't realistic because some bones are missing or whatever but – deep inside – she'll be thrilled. Believe me."

Maura's very last birthday without their daughter by their side. Jane swallowed hard as a powerful wave of emotions rushed through her. Everything was ready. She had even moved Clafoutis and her kittens to a quieter room to make sure that the cat wouldn't be scared of the presence of too many people.

They had awoken four days earlier to the sound of kittens in the living-room. Maura had almost had a panic attack when she had realized that the cat hadn't given birth in the carboard box that they had found for her but on top of one of her expensive armchairs. Thankfully Jane had got the situation back under control as she had managed to make her partner focus on the cuteness of the kittens instead.

They would have to give them away though. With Bass and Jo Friday around, they could hardly afford to have six more pets in the house.

"This is such a nice attention, Jane. I'm sure Maura will love it." Catherine took a sip of water and motioned Jane's tape. "How's your wrist?"

The question immediately made Jane blush. There were some things that she preferred to keep under silence, some very stupid things. The way she had tried to surf in the patio last weekend – out of boredom – was one of them, for instance. How had this even happened? She was obviously the first person on this planet who had got injured after climbing on top of a surfboard without water around.

"It's just a bad bruise, I'm okay. There's nothing sprained, nothing broken. It's just the typical stupid stuff one should expect from me."

And this was true. This was completely true. Maura had even got used to it. She had heard the loud noise of Jane's fall from the living-room but she hadn't moved an inch. She had patiently waited instead to see what part of her body her wife had once again damaged.

Even Bass wasn't scared of Jane's dangerous challenges anymore. He had ceased to rush under a table to hide whenever Jane let a scream of pain come out.

"It's Maura's fault though! She's the one who bought that surfboard. Gosh you'd have seen us in Provincetown at our first surfing lesson. It was a disaster. Maura ended up lying on the board – right on the beach – to resume the reading of her novel and I landed at a bar on the pier."

Catherine burst out laughing. Openly. Loudly. For five seconds. Then she suddenly froze and turned livid. Jane's heart missed a beat as she witnessed the drastic change of attitude.

"Are you okay?"

...

Maura rushed through the corridors. She knew the hospital by heart. She could have gone there with her eyes closed, as a matter of fact. She turned on her right – passed a vending machine – and turned on her left before reaching a large and crowded waiting room. She spotted Jane at the very far end of it pacing nervously; a coffee cup in her hands.

"What is going on? Please tell me everything is fine. Where is Catherine? And why are you dressed up as a mad scientist?"

Nothing made sense now that Maura thought about it. Was she having a bad dream? Jane was wearing a medical white coat slightly torn down and full of strains. Her hair was a mess as if some chemical product had exploded within her black curls.

"The doctors are with her. She's having a check-up. I guess her water broke. We were at home laughing and all then it happened." Jane shrugged and preferred to not tell Maura that she could say goodbye to her couch. Clafoutis ruining an armchair was enough for the moment on the furniture disaster scale. "She wasn't in pain nor bleeding though. She was just a bit panicked."

Jane bit her lower lip. This was one way to soften the truth. Catherine was in tears when Jane had taken her to the hospital. They both knew what her water breaking meant except it was way too early. On the paper, the baby was big enough to show up a few weeks earlier but Jane didn't like it. There was a reason why a pregnancy was supposed to last nine months and not eight and a half.

"Why... Why the white coat? Were you going to a carnival?" Maura looked at her wife's attire and raised a very unconvinced eyebrow. Jane's outfit was slightly embarrassing actually. Especially since they were at the hospital. "What have you done again?"

Jane sighed.

"It was supposed to be a surprise... We organized a little something for your birthday. Everything was ready but it seems like we have some last-minute change. I'm sorry." An apologetic smile played on her lips. "How come you're so calm? You freak me out."

The remark made Maura smile. She leaned against the wall and shrugged. Something warm had just spread within her, something soft that reassured her. She was happy and felt fine. Yes Catherine had been taken to the hospital but – deep inside – Maura was convinced that everything would go alright.

She could sense it.

Many women happened to give birth a bit earlier. As a matter of fact, some always had a doubt about the date of the child conception. Besides if she wasn't in pain nor bleeding, Catherine might simply have to stick to some bed rest for a couple of weeks. And then there was Jane. Jane and her nice attentions.

"Because I love you."

...

It turned out to be a false alert. Catherine had lost a bit of liquid but her water hadn't broken and since she didn't have contractions, she got released within the next hours. She was fine, you were fine. Everyone was fine.

But the birthday surprise party was ruined.

I mean we did celebrate Maura's birthday but there was no surprise anymore. I kinda panicked when I saw Catherine freeze. It never crossed my mind I could take that medical white coat off and tie my hair up in a ponytail or something. We just rushed to the hospital and the rest is history.

You really scared me that day. I know it's not the kind of stuff I say very often but you really did. The loss of Timothy was still very fresh in my mind. It's only fair I got to think about it. I'm so glad the story didn't repeat.

The party turned out to be an amazing success. Maura loved it and she didn't even make any remark about the skeletons but then that's probably because I had made her drink quite a lot of punch. Yeah, whatever.

She needed to forget the fact her couch was about to join her armchair to the heaven of furniture.

We celebrated a lot of birthdays but I wanted to talk to you about this one because it's part of your journey and it's part of Maura and I's too. We were a young couple – I mean a fresh one – and it's the first time Maura told me that she loved me.

Yes, I'm going all sappy and so what? It touched me. Deal with it.

We hadn't said it yet. I didn't have any doubt about my feelings and I know Maura didn't have any either but the words still had to come out. It was probably not the most romantic scene ever but I kinda like it because it's ours. You see what I mean? It just happened, in the most natural way ever. It wasn't planned, just instinctive. And that's something big for Maura.

Actually I don't even know if she realized what she'd said at the time because life just went on and she moved on. The doctors came back and we gotta see Catherine. They told us everything was fine, that you were doing good. Maybe you would show up before your birthmother's due date but it wasn't an issue because you weren't a tiny baby either.

Yeah well, get over it. I was a chubby baby too. It's okay. You'll survive this kind of info. I did in spite of ma' waving all these pics of me as a newborn to whoever stops by her place.

Anyway... That's why I remember this day so well. Not because I got scared but because it ended up in the sweetest way ever. It took me so long to feel fine with someone. I even thought at some point that it wouldn't happen at all. I'm glad life proved me I was wrong.

And... Yes. I did reply to your mother. I told her that I loved her too. It's cheesy, right? I know it is. I can feel it. But you know what? I don't care. It's my life, my story. And it can be cheesy too because it's actually super sweet.

Let's just forget about my stupid pride for a minute here. Let's just put all of this aside.

There's nothing wrong in being loved and loving someone so why should I hide it? Why should I keep it for myself? I should celebrate it instead and that's exactly what I'm doing.