Author's note: thank you all for the reviews!

Chapter Forty-Four: Happy Birthday

Jane exited the room with a smile of triumph on her lips. The weight pressing on her shoulders had finally vanished and the sky had turned clear. So clear. She waited to turn on her right at the corner of the corridor to do a fist pump and kick the air with her foot.

They had dismantled the human traffic network after the FBI had sped up negotiations and such with the BPD. A tough case, one of these Jane was glad to see getting closed. A long one. Too long but now at least she could focus on something else and – perhaps – afford a few hours of psychological rest.

Coffee in hand, she stepped into the open space but slowed down as she looked at her desk. A dozen of packages – of all sizes but wrapped with pink paper – had been put there and were waiting for her.

Like every year.

Restraining a smirk, she put down her drink on top of a pile of files and grabbed one of the presents.

"Happy birthday, Rizzoli!"

Half of her colleagues showed up and before she had a chance to react, one of them managed to put a crown on top of her head. Of course. Anything to go on her nerves. They knew that she hated all these girlie things, that's why they annually threw her a princess party of some sort.

Just to tease her even more.

"I see you found a very pink wrapping paper, this year... With..." She looked at her hand and made a face. "With glitter dust..."

O'Hara – from the drugs unit – leaned against the wall and laughed out loud. "C'mon, princess! Open your presents, I have a briefing with my team in ten minutes."

Jane nodded and obliged. It was the first time that she actually had so many of them to unwrap but she knew better than believing all of them would be nothing but a prank of some sort. Years of experience – and friendly annual humiliation – had made a couple of things clear when it came to birthdays.

Yet as she opened the first one, she realized that for once her colleagues might have changed their plans.

"What the hell is that?" Confused, she grabbed a framed list of money amounts and dates. "What are these M and J standing for? I don't get it!"

Detectives and officers chuckled before exchanging knowing looks. Frost finally turned out to be the one to reply. Fair enough. He was her partner and knew her better than anyone else around along with Korsak. "The bets we'd established about you and Dr. Isles... Since now you're married, we assumed... That maybe you wanted to keep track of how we placed our bets on the two of you."

The hell? Jane squinted her eyes at the paper trying to ignore the way her cheeks had turned red. "You started it three years ago?!"

Frost shrugged apologetically. "Why it seemed rather obvious that the two of you had really hit it off... Mind you we still don't know who won. Except for the Punta Cana part. Mahoney and I had bet you'd be caught somehow and that happened!"

Yeah. How to forget that. Jane forced a smile and swallowed hard. On to the next present. She was not necessarily in the mood to tell her colleagues all the details about her sexual life. With more or less – and let's face it, it was quite less – eagerness, she grabbed a small one and unwrapped it.

Two baby-size BPD shirts. Gray ones. The exact repliqua of hers.

As much as she usually didn't let her emotions show, this time she didn't care much and gladly felt a grin play on her lips. It was a cute present. A really cute one. Not as pointless as the ones the guys tended to offer her usually.

"We weren't sure for the size so we got the smallest one. Might fit for a while... Hope Dr. Isles will like them too as much as it's not some fancy designer and all."

Jane laughed at the remark and nodded. "She'll love them, no worries. It's really nice of you, guys."

…

With care, Maura put down a shirt on top of the first cardboard box and repeated the gesture on the other side of the room. The clothes looked tiny – cute – and she couldn't help but smile.

She was touched by Jane's colleagues' birthday presents. Especially this one. Nothing was ready in the nursery – all the Ikea boxes had been abandoned there, Lucie's on a side and Alba's on the other – but now that the BPD shirts had been added to the whole scene, Maura felt eager to assemble everything.

"What kind of birthday it is if I'm forced to wear a dress, exactly?" Pulling on her black dress – heels in both hands – Jane walked into the room and stopped by Maura's side. Her pout hadn't left her since she had learned that a dress code was de rigueur for the evening.

"Because your mother – also known as your daughters' future babysitter – wanted to. It won't kill you, Jane. Besides, you look absolutely gorgeous in it."

The brunette wrinkled her noise. There was nothing more uncertain than this. Maura looked perfect in her very own one, the fabric molding her curves as if the dress had been sewed on her. She was born to be elegant. Jane wasn't.

"Don't tell me my brothers are going to show up in a tuxedo!"

Just as Maura was about to reply, the doorbell resounded loud in the house. Smiling, the honey blonde winked at her wife – grabbed her hand – and took her out of the room before going downstairs. "She chose the theme, deal with it."

"But there's nothing here! Do you mean we're going somewhere else?" Jane bit her lower lip as a sigh threatened to hit the air. She hated surprises. Somehow. Truth to be told, she was excited to know what was really going on now.

Yet she had certainly not expected a limousine to be waiting for her outside the house. Frowning – lost – she cast a glance at Maura, asking implicitly for further explanations. The blonde smiled peacefully. "I paid for this part..."

The ride turned out to be rather quiet for Jane being intimidated. Not only did she still not know what was really going on but she wasn't used to such luxury cars either. She kept on casting glances at the driver - out of nervousness – while Maura looked in her element almost as much as at the morgue.

They finally stopped in front of a very well known building of Boston. Jane shook her head. "Really? The Omni Parker House?" The place looked even more elegant at night.

Maura nodded and waited for their driver to open the door before stepping out of the limousine. She grabbed Jane's hand, led her inside. Without stopping by the reception, the medical examiner walked directly to the elevators and waited for the doors to open.

"Should I be worried that you seem to know the place that well? That's the kind of hotel I'd go to if I were having an affair!" Jane giggled but stopped right away as Maura widened her eyes at her in panic. Bad timing for a joke, obviously.

No more conversation until they reached the last floor and walked to the main suite. A sign had been placed by the door, in a golden frame. Jane read it out loud. "Boston For Children's Freedom special evening...?"

Maura nodded and stepped inside as the door got opened and a hostess took their names. "A charity is being held and your mother assumed that it was a good way for you to celebrate your birthday after the case you have just closed. Boston For Children's Freedom is an association that works in collaboration with Amnesty International, fighting children traffic all over the world. As much as we have to follow this dress code – mainly because of the auction aspect of the evening – the suite is bringing homage to children, tonight. That's why you will find games all around as well as cotton candy and pizza. Oh, I also made sure that they had peanuts and hotdogs."

Maura winked at Jane before waving her hand at Lydia and Tommy as she spotted them in a corner, TJ by their side playing miniature golf with Angela.

"So... Was your mother right?"

Jane scanned the room. The human traffic case had meant a lot to her and nobody had missed it. On the contrary. Not that she didn't care before but now that she was about to become a mother, awareness had kicked in rather violently.

"It is. It's perfect. It really is." Her whisper died in the kiss that she planted on Maura's lips. The more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea. After all she was with her family – eating cake and hotdogs if she wanted to – and still took part in a great cause. Dress code: accepted.

"Happy birthday, Jane. I love you." Maura's smile made her hazel eyes glimmer under the pale light of the night.

The first one they celebrated as a couple, a married one. It might have sounded stupid but for Jane, the symbol was strong and she made sure that all the memories she would make from that night would be there – in her head – for the rest of her life.