"Maur" Jane said one morning looking up from her bowl of cornflakes at the doctor who was studiously looking at the newspaper.
"Mhm" Maura replied only half listening they were sitting in her kitchen having breakfast before work, they had been alternating at who's place they stayed at for almost two weeks now not being able to bare being so far away from each other. Maura still liked to have Jane close to her at night, although she was basically as good as new sometimes she still woke in the middle of the night after having a dream about her head trauma, thinking her head had started pounding again she would need Jane's arms around her assuring her that she was okay.
"Do you think I need to go and have one of those scans?" Jane asked hesitantly.
"An antenatal screening" Maura said without looking up "and a ultrasound, good idea, I'll make you an appointment"
Jane lifted an eyebrow "Will you come with me?"
Maura looked up from the paper "Of course I will" she smiled her eyes hovering on Jane's face before returning to the article she was reading.
Maura was still reluctant to talk about the baby with Jane, she wouldn't bring it up on her own terms but she wouldn't entirely shy away from the topic either. "Have you thought about telling Casey?" She had even asked Jane one evening as Jane picked at her kale.
"No" Jane had replied not looking up "I think I might just leave it for a while" she had said and when she had looked up at Maura she couldn't help but notice the tiniest of smirks the doctor was trying to conceal.
Jane couldn't put into words how grateful she was to still have Maura, she knew they weren't 100% okay, but just waking up to the doctors beautiful face and sleepily hazel eyes was something Jane would always had come to truly realise what an amazing human being Maura was, of course she had years of proof that the medical examiner was incredible but since the news of the pregnancy had mostly settled between them Maura had been nothing but supportive and loving towards her.
"Be careful at work today" she had taken to saying everyday, not because she was afraid of Jane getting hurt but she was afraid something might happen to the baby.
It was still only the two of them who knew and lately the idea of telling her family had been rolling around her mind.
"Do you think it's too soon to tell Ma?" Jane decided to ask Maura, it was a new thing the two of them had developed Jane would ask the doctor almost everything and Maura would give her advice, not scientifically proven or peer reviewed advice but her own personal opinion.
Maura tilted her head in contemplation looking at Jane's tired brown eyes.
"You're having dinner with her tonight" she said and Jane nodded.
"Were you thinking about telling her then?"
"I don't know" Jane sighed.
"If you do…" Maura said looking down at her hands nervously before looking back at Jane.
"Could I come? I'd like to be there" a smile filled Jane's face immediately.
"I assumed you were already coming"
Maura bit her lip cutely before glancing at the time.
"Shoot" she said leaping up from her chair "We need to get to work"
The idea of telling her mother about her pregnancy bugged Jane all day, it wasn't that she wasn't excited to share the news with her mother, it was just that her and Maura had still be on such an edge about the whole situation that having her overpowering matriarchal mother who was obsessed with the idea of grandchildren in the know was somewhat scary for Jane. It would suddenly be all about baby shopping and pregnancy classes, her house would be full of parenting books and her mother would be trying to feed her weird vegetable meals every half an hour.
She wasn't sure that she was ready for that, she knew she couldn't hide it forever but tonight seemed far to close the only comfort to Jane was that Maura was going to be right there beside her and so whatever crazy rituals her mother started enforcing Maura would be there too, to laugh at her and support her and potentially change the locks to her house so that Angela couldn't get in whenever she wanted.
Jane took several unnecessary trips down to the morgue that day asking Maura over and over again whether she was sure it was a good idea to tell Angela tonight. By the third trip down Maura had heard Jane's footsteps in the hallway and as she opened the door to the autopsy room Maura had looked up and given her a playful smirk.
"7 o'clock at the Dirty Robber" she had said and Jane had stared at her with wide eyes.
"What?"
"I confirmed with Angela about tonight" Maura said and Jane looked at her offended.
"You did what?"
"Jane" Maura smiled.
"Maura I was just coming down here to tell you I think we should wait" Jane said wide eyed.
"No you weren't"
"Wha- how do you know?" Jane frowned folding her arms.
"Your left eyebrow moved, you're lying" Maura shrugged and Jane narrowed her eyes at the medical examiner.
"She's your mother Jane" Maura said when Jane stubbornly didn't answer as a sign of her disapproval.
"Yes my mother" Jane groaned "My mother who loves to interfere and has been wanting grandchildren since I was 15"
"Fifteen?" Maura asked in shock an eyebrow raised and Jane just rolled her eyes.
"That was an exaggeration, Maur"
"Oh"
Jane sighed loudly "I can't believe you confirmed that with her, god"
"Now you sound like you're fifteen" Maura said patting her arm lightly with a grin.
"Maura" Jane groaned "She's going to try and feed me chickpeas and spinach everyday"
"Both of which are very good for you" Maura pointed out and Jane just glared at her.
"If this goes badly you're sleeping on the couch" Jane warned her but Maura just laughed knowing there was no way that would be happening.
At 7.02pm Jane was still sitting in the car her hands gripped the wheel even though it turned off she was still ready to make a run for it, her stomach had been fluttering with nerves ever since Maura had confirmed their dinner with her mother. She knew her mother would be beyond excited but it just felt too soon, everything was happening too fast.
Her phone buzzed in the passenger seat beside her. It was Maura:
If you are not here in 2 minutes I'll tell her myself.
Jane frowned at her phone before dragging herself out of the car terrified that Maura would actually tell her mother, Jane didn't know whether the doctor would get hives from lying via text but she wasn't willing to take that chance. She was greeted by an immediate warmth as she walked into the Dirty Robber, the chill of the night air being forcefully locked outside as she shut the door behind her. Her dark eyes scanned the room and spotted Maura sitting alone in their usual booth, Jane narrowed her eyes and walked over to the medical examiner a questioning look on her face.
"Doctor Isles…" Jane said slipping into the seat opposite her.
"Would you like to tell me where my mother is?"
"She's running late" Maura said nonchalantly and Jane lifted an eyebrow.
"I just wanted to make sure you weren't going to wimp out"
"Wimp out?" Jane repeated a humoured smile growing on her face.
"I think you need to do this Jane, I'm the only person who knows and you deserve more support than that" Maura spoke honestly and Jane just looked at her.
"You're all the support I need"
But before Maura could reply they were interrupted by the instantly recognisable sound of Angela's voice.
"Hello girls" she said slipping into the booth beside Maura and Jane looked shocked that she chose to sit next to her best friend instead of her daughter. It always confused Jane how well the two of them got along majority of the time, I mean, it was her mother and they did all kinds of weird things together, but lately she had been acting far more maternal around the medical examiner and Jane had no idea why.
"Hi Ma" Jane said forcing a smile and subtly shooting a you're going to pay for this later look at Maura who simply ignored her and smiled pleasantly at Angela.
"Janie you look exhausted! Have you not been sleeping again?" Angela asked concerned and Jane just sighed.
"I'm sleeping fine Ma" she said staring at the table and drawing circles on the wood with her finger.
"So what is it you girls wanted to tell me?" Angela said getting straight into it and Jane immediately looked up at Maura who guiltily averted her eyes, knowing she had most likely shared a detail too many when making the dinner plans.
"Well…uh…Maura got an invitation this morning" Jane said nodding "From Constance, she was invited to one of her galleries in Europe, isn't that right?"
Maura frowned at Jane the detective wasn't lying but she hadn't told Jane about the invitation yet, and she could have sworn she hadn't left it lying out on the table but she wasn't sure, she had been in such a rush this morning that after the shock of hearing from Constance she had dropped the letter and left for work deciding to deal with that issue later, when she wasn't so late for work.
"Maura, that's fantastic!" Angela beamed with joy for the doctor and Maura returned a enthusiastic smile.
"So are you going to go?"
Maura opened her mouth to speak but quickly shut it again glancing at Jane who was watching her intently. The dinner had already diverted from the direction it was meant to be going in, and Maura was not in any state of mind to be answering questions about whether she was ready to run off to Europe for one of her mother's galleries.
"I'm not sure" Maura said moving her eyes off Jane and onto Angela.
"It's not for two months so I have some time to decide"
"I'm sure it would mean a lot to her if you went" Angela said and Maura just nodded, her eyes flicking back to Jane who was back to staring at the table again. As silence fell over the table Maura slid her foot across and kicked Jane lightly in the calf making her jump slightly and sit up straight, she shot the doctor a look and folded her arms across her chest and when she refused to say anything Maura rolled her eyes and turned back to Angela.
"So…" she said "Jane has something to tell you"
"Maura" Jane practically yelped.
Angela looked at her daughter in eager anticipation.
"What is it sweetie?"
"Um" Jane said chewing nervously on her bottom lip "Well, um…" a nervous laugh escaped her lips as she stared at her hands as words tumbled around her mouth but none coming out.
"This is um…the words seem to be a little stuck" she said avoiding whatever look Maura was giving her at that moment.
"Is everything alright?" Angela asked concern beginning to grow in her voice and Jane looked up wearing her best brave face, feeling like a little girl who had done something she shouldn't have.
"I'm not sure" she said truthfully her eyes finally glancing at Maura who's hazel eyes were intensely fixated on her.
"I'm…pregnant, Ma"
Angela's mouth fell open in shock and she gaped at her daughter in silence as the words processed through her head. Pregnant. Jane was pregnant.
"Ma…" Jane said nervously "Say something"
"Don't joke with me Janie" Angela said finding her words finally.
"I'm not joking Ma" Jane said everything about her face serious. Her brown eyes were fixated on her mother but would briefly glance at Maura every few seconds.
"B-but you can't be" Angela said looking at Jane and then Maura and then back at Jane.
"You're both women"
Maura's eyes widened at Angela's words and her hand flew up to cover her mouth. Jane's mouth however just fell open and she stared at her mother blankly, words unable to form after what her mother had just said.
"It's not mine" Maura found herself saying trying to contain her amusement.
"It's Casey's" she said a bad taste forming in her mouth after that name had left her tongue.
"Casey" Angela repeated staring at Jane incredulously "But you two broke up"
"I know Ma" Jane said fidgeting with her fingers and it took all of Maura's self restraint not to reach across the table and stop her. She was allowed to be nervous, this conversation with her mother needed to happen and it was going to be a little awkward if anything.
"Honey…" Angela said her tone suddenly softened.
"Honey I'm so happy for you" a wide smile broke out on her face "I'm going to be a grandmother, again!"
Jane tried her hardest to give her mother a convincing smile, but she couldn't help but notice the slightly pinched and discomforted look on Maura's face. This is why I wanted to wait Jane thought Maura isn't ready for my mother's baby wrath….and neither am I.
Angela had already begun to start babbling on about everything that Jane would need to start doing and organising, but Jane wasn't paying attention and neither was Maura. The two of them stared at each other from across the table, infatuated by each other. Their eyes were locked and neither one of them could bring themselves to look away as there was always a deep feeling of contentment when their eyes met, everything else in the world disappeared except for each other all of their problems fell away and the only important thing stood standing. Jane had Maura, and Maura had Jane. They looked at each other for so long that a smile began to curl at the sides of Maura's mouth she wasn't sure why she was smiling, it was just Jane. She was beautiful and brave. Yes Maura was still conflicted by her emotions but that didn't mean she didn't love Jane still, and in that moment, that tiny small moment between them across the table she loved Jane. She loved Jane and nothing else mattered.