Ugh. So sorry for the delay between updates. Life is...well...busy to say the least, so I do apologize. The good news is, I'm around a lot this week, so I'm planning to get another update out there either Thursday or Friday.
Thanks for sticking with me on this one. We should be getting to some more action soon.
Jane was fast asleep in the oversized recliner in Tessa's nursery, having drifted back to sleep after an early morning feeding. Tessa was starting to stir, and her quiet grunts and squirming started to wake Jane up. She rubbed her hand down her face, and opened her eyes, immediately turning onto her side so she could look at the squirming baby in the crib beside her. A happy, albeit tired, grin appeared on Jane's face and she slowly sat up, pushing the fleece blanket off herself before standing so she could pick up the baby.
"Good morning princess." Jane yawned as she bent over the crib and picked up her daughter. She held her up so she could kiss her pink cheek, and settled in the recliner again, hoping that she could spend a few precious moments with the baby before she started to get hungry. Jane situated Tessa on her chest, and Tessa immediately nuzzled her face into the crook of Jane's neck, something that had been happening a lot lately, and Jane thought it was pretty amazing. Pulling the blanket back over the both of them, Jane let out a contented sigh and rubbed her hand along Tessa's back. She was due to head back to work later this morning as her maternity leave was up, and she was hoping to spend every last moment before she had to leave with her family.
A few minutes later, Jane could hear the soft pitter-patter of feet in the hallway, and she looked up to find a half-asleep Jack standing in the doorway, holding his blanket and rubbing his eyes.
"Hey buddy." Jane said softly. "What are you doing up so early?"
The little boy rubbed his eyes and leaned against the door frame. "I had a scary dream Mama."
Jane smiled sympathetically at her son. "Well then, I think some snuggles with Mama and Tessa are in order. Come here buddy."
Jack yawned and entered the room. Jane shifted to one side of the oversized recliner and cradled Tessa in one arm. Jack climbed up next to her and snuggled into Jane's side. She wrapped her free arm around him and craned her neck to kiss the top of his head.
"There we go. That's better, huh?" Jane asked.
"Mhmm." Jack mumbled sleepily, shifting slightly so he could see his little sister. After a few seconds, Jane could feel him relax and let out a small sigh. She switched her gaze between the two children for a few seconds before settling back into the recliner and happily closing her eyes.
Upon waking up and rolling over to find the side normally occupied by Jane empty, Maura rubbed the sleep from her eyes and went in search of her wife. It was still early, and the sun was just starting to peek through the blinds in their bedroom. Even though Jane was supposed to be sleeping still to prepare for her first day back at work, Maura knew there was only one place that Jane would be this early in the morning. She slipped on her robe and headed for the nursery, tying the sash around her waist as she padded down the hallway.
Maura rounded the corner into the nursery as quietly as possible, knowing that the silence enveloping the house meant that Tessa, and likely Jane, were sleeping in the nursery. She paused to peek around into the nursery, confirming her suspicions. A smile spread across her face as she saw not only Jane and Tessa in the recliner, but Jack as well. Maura made her way into the room, desperately wanting to join her family, but knowing that the recliner wasn't big enough for the four of them. She noticed Tessa squirming a bit in Jane's arm, so Maura closed the rest of the distance to the recliner and moved to take the baby from Jane. Jane's arm tightened around Tessa as the tried to do so, and Maura looked up to find Jane looking at her with a tired grin.
"Hey." Jane grunted. "Get your own baby…you baby stealer."
Maura stifled a laugh, as she didn't want to wake Jack, and bent to give Jane a peck on the lips. "I've got to feed her."
Jane pouted, but relaxed her hold on the baby so Maura could pick her up, watching as Maura held Tessa close to her chest and cooed softly at her.
"You were supposed to let me get up with her this morning." Maura looked at her wife, who was pulling Jack fully on to her lap so he would be more comfortable. "You were supposed to get as much sleep as possible for your first day back." Maura shifted back and forth on her feet as Tessa started to fuss.
"Snuggles were more important than sleep." Jane said with a shrug of her shoulders. Truthfully, she was not looking forward to leaving her little family, even if she was excited about her first day as a detective. "I just wanted to spend as much time with you guys as I could before I have to leave you." She peered down at her sleeping son, bringing up one hand to smooth down some of his hair that was sticking up.
Maura smiled, knowing that she was going to miss Jane as much as Jane was going to miss them. She glanced over at the clock on top of the dresser. "We still have a few hours before you have to head in. I have to feed Tessa but I can do it in our bed. Come back to bed for an hour or so. Bring Jack…we can all snuggle for a while."
Without a word, Jane gathered Jack in her arms and wiggled out of the recliner. Once she was standing, she pressed a kiss to Maura's cheek and headed in the direction of their bedroom. A few minutes after Jack and Jane were snuggled up in their bed, Maura slipped in next to them with Tessa cradled against her breast, and they spent the next hour cuddled up as a family.
"This is amazing Maur. Thanks so much." Jane called over her shoulder. She was managing to eat the breakfast Maura had prepared for her one-handed, as she cradled Tessa in her other arm. Jane looked across the table at Jack, who was shoveling eggs into his mouth as fast as he could. "Hey…slow down there bud. No need to rush." Jack nodded, putting down his fork and taking a big drink from his glass of milk.
Maura chuckled and shook her head as she settled into the seat next to her wife. "Maybe he wouldn't eat so fast if you weren't setting such a bad example for him." She teased, trying not to laugh again as Jane had just started to shovel food in an identical fashion to their son.
"What do you mean?" Jane asked through a mouthful of breakfast potatoes. She made some disgusting grunting noises and bent down to scoop the food directly from her plate into her mouth, causing Jack to giggle at her antics. "My table manners are impeccable."
Maura quirked an eyebrow, and both women started to laugh.
A few minutes later, the family had finished their breakfast, and Jane had handed Tessa off to Maura so she could fix a cup of coffee to take with her. As Jane stirred her coffee, she looked over at her two favorite blondes, smiling wistfully as Tessa yawned.
"I can't believe four weeks went by so quickly." She said quietly.
Maura moved to stand next to Jane, shifting Tessa to one side so she could wrap her arm around Jane's waist. "Me either." She replied, resting her head on Jane's shoulder.
"You know this is torture for me, right? Leaving you guys?" Jane let out a breath and turned her head to kiss the top of Maura's.
Maura was quiet for a few seconds, not wanting to make things harder for Jane. She glanced down at the baby in her arms. "It will be torture not having you here with us." She admitted quietly. "But you have to go Jane. Go…have a great day, and come home safe to us tonight. We will be fine."
Jane snapped the lid onto her travel mug and turned so she could kiss her wife. The kiss lingered for a few seconds, as Jane was reluctant to pull away since she knew it meant she had to leave. Finally Jane pulled back, reaching up to brush the back of her hand along Maura's cheek.
"Thank you for this morning Maur. It's tough having to leave you all here, but you made it a little easier." She cupped Maura's cheek and leaned in for another kiss before bending slightly to kiss Tessa's forehead. She smoothed down the fine blonde hair on Tessa's head before straightening up and looking around the room for their son. "Hey Jack…I gotta go, buddy. Can I get a good-bye hug?"
Jack popped up from his position on the couch and held his arms out wide. Jane grinned and made a beeline for him, picking him up and spinning him around as she peppered his face with kisses.
"Yuck Mama!" Jack giggled as he squirmed in her grasp. "No more kisses!"
Jane laughed and dropped him unceremoniously onto the soft couch cushions. She bent down to look at him, running a hand through his hair. "You be a good boy today, okay? Nonna is going to pick you up from school, and if you are good she will take you to the park."
He nodded furiously. "Can we play with my cars when you come home?"
Jane grinned and ruffled his hair, even though his seemingly innocuous question made her want to cry. "Absolutely bud. We can play cars as soon as I get home. I promise."
That seemed to appease him, and he wrapped his arms around her neck one more time before letting her go. Jane straightened up and walked back into the kitchen. She slipped her shiny gold badge onto her belt before unlocking her gun safe and placing her service weapon carefully into the holster. When she looked up, Maura was holding up her black blazer, and she reached for it with a grateful smile before slipping it on.
She picked up her keys from the kitchen counter and stood there for a moment, making sure she hadn't forgotten anything. Once Jane was satisfied she was all set, she picked up her coffee mug and looked up at Maura.
"Well…I think that's everything." She shrugged. "How do I look?"
Maura brushed a nonexistent piece of lint off one of the shoulders of Jane's blazer. She stepped back and admired Jane for a few seconds.
"You're the sexiest detective I've ever seen." Maura replied with a wink.
Jane grinned and pulled Maura close again. "Sexy is good, but I was going for more along the lines of badass, or possibly…intimidating."
Maura laughed and kissed Jane's neck a few times. "Well I just figured those went without saying…"
Jane let out a laugh as she kissed Maura one last time. "Well played Maur…very smooth." She was still grinning as she made her way to the door. As she opened the door to the garage, she paused and turned back to look at her family. "I love you all. I'll see you tonight."
"I love you too Jane. Have a great day. I know you will be a great detective."
"Bye Mama! Go catch some bad guys!"
Jane took a deep breath and headed out the door, willing herself not to think about her family too much throughout the day as she got into her car.