*Hi everyone… I am sorry that I have been MIA for the past few months but my Muse decided that she needed a little vacation from all of the negativity that seems to be filling our world lately so I thought it best to let her go and recharge. Well, she is back… for the most part, and I have finally finished something I have been trying to finish for a while now. I just want everyone to know that even though I might disappear from time to time… I will try to keep up with this story as best I can. I have pretty much plotted it out until the end… with Jane and Maura going through what all families go through as time keeps marching on… growing pains, graduations, weddings… and eventually their own grandkids… so please keep that in mind. I don't ever intent to end this abruptly… I will try and bring things to a good, happy place before I do finally end it… but as far as today stands… I will keep going as long as I can. So, with that being said… I hope you are all well and I look forward to hearing what you all think of this newest chapter. Thanks again for sticking it out with me… :)
Chapter 25
"It's positive?" Jane asked, her voice filled with excitement. "Are you positive it's positive?"
"Positive…" Maura grinned as she bent to kiss Jane on the cheek. Placing a hand on either side of Jane's face, she stared down into eye's the color of soft suede… eye's filled with an immeasurable amount of happiness. The flutter of anticipation that had started in the pit of her stomach moved up into her chest as she bent to kiss Jane again, but this time she was caught up in strong arms that pulled her down until she was sitting on the bed as well.
"Well, Mrs. Rizzoili-Isles… it seems as if I might have gotten you into a little bit of trouble..." Jane smirked as she reached over to place an open palm against Maura's stomach. "And now you've got a bun in the oven…"
"Did you know that the phrase 'bun in the oven' was first used in a 20th century novel by Nicholas Monsarrat called Cruel Sea?" Maura mused as she laid back on the bed, pulling Jane down with her.
"Come'ere Poindexter…" Jane laughed as she wrapped her arms around Maura.
"I am neither boringly studious nor socially inept…" Maura frowned as she allowed herself to be held, enjoying the warmth that radiated from Jane's body into her own.
"Umm…" Jane sighed against the warmth of Maura's neck where her lips lazily grazed. "How 'bout you prove it…?"
It was more of a dare than a question and Maura knew the best way to deal with Jane's subtle challenge was through actions and not words but as she settled herself over slim hips to indeed prove herself, the sound of loud footsteps… more like the stomps of a frustrated child carried to them causing Maura to let out a defeated sigh.
"Mommy! Mama!" Valley's voice carried to them down the hall.
Dropping her head to Jane's chest, Maura sighed heavily before pushing herself off her soft, warm perch. She looked into the soft, velvet pools of brown that held the same disappointment she was feeling and smiled. "We're not done here…" she said as she reached over and placed her index finger in the dimple of Jane's chin before following up with a quick kiss.
"Duty calls…" Jane laughed then turned to Maura with a serious expression. "Oh, shit… I hope it isn't doody this time… like for real doody…" her eyes grew wide with dread.
"Li has been good about keeping the diaper on and not running around naked as he did before. I think the prospect of using the big boy potty has helped." Maura sat up and pushed her hair away from her face as she waited for whatever problem was about to arrive at their door.
"Mommy? Mama?" Valley called out again as she rounded the corner and then stopped in the doorway to make sure it was okay to enter. She had learned long ago that an open door didn't necessarily mean she had permission to go in.
"What's up, Ally-Roo?" Jane asked as she pushed herself up from the bed so she could see what was wrong.
Valley stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips and her bottom lip poked out in a pout as she tried to hold back her tears of frustration. "Li won't give me my Elsa dress back. I told him it's for girls and that boys can't wear dresses!" She punctuated that last statement with a quick wave of her hands.
Jane glanced over at Maura and frowned. She wasn't completely on board with letting Li walk around in a dress but then again she knew it was time to be a better parent and allow him to play free without the constraints of gender roles. He was only a year and a half old and there was no reason to chastise him for liking something or wanting to be like his big sister. Her thoughts were dispelled when Maura cleared her throat and nodded towards Valley who continued to look at them as if she were waiting for them to agree.
"Hey, come'ere…" Jane bent down and opened her arms so she could hug Valley. "I know that the Elsa dress is your favorite, but what is the harm in letting Li play with it for a while?"
"He's a boy and boys don't wear dresses…" Valley pulled away from Jane's hug and wiped at her eyes.
"Well, although that is true most of the time… it doesn't mean that boys can't like them. And he's just a baby… it's okay to let him have a little fun."
"But Mama… it will make him a sissy…" Valley started to say but stopped when Maura took a deep breath and sighed heavily.
"Where did you hear that?" Maura asked trying to keep her temper in check. She wasn't mad at Valley but she surely wanted to know who was filling her head with such nonsense.
"Umm… well… um…" Valley stuttered, unsure if she should divulge who had told her.
"It's okay, honey… we're not mad at you. We just want to know who has been telling you such silly things." Jane glanced over her shoulder at Maura and raised her eyebrow in gentle warning regarding Maura's temper.
"Well, Noah and some of the other boys at school. They said boys can't like girl things because it will make them sissies." Valley finally said.
"Do you know what that means?" Maura asked, sure that Valley didn't.
Shaking her head, Valley's lip poked out again and tears began to slide down her cheeks.
"Oh, sweetheart… come here." Maura opened her arms to welcome Valley in a hug. "It's okay… we just want to make sure you understand why it's wrong to say such things. And why it isn't wrong to let Li express himself as well. How would you feel if someone said you couldn't wear your dinosaur shirt because they were only for boys to like?" This question caused Valley to cry harder as she pulled back to look at Maura. "Oh my goodness, someone has already done that… haven't they?"
Nodding, Valley took a deep breath to quell the tears that continued to fall. "Grayson said dinosaurs were for boys and if I like them it would make me a boy too. I don't want to be a boy…" her voice trailed off as she began to cry again.
"Grayson? Grayson Carlton?" Jane asked with irritation. "That's Todd's kid… isn't it? He's such a male chauvinist. It seems to be rubbing off on his kid." She shook her head and frowned as she watched Valley. "It isn't true though, you know. It's just some people have an archaic way of thinking that some things are just for boys and some things are just for girls."
With the tears at bay, Valley looked up at Jane with curiosity. "What's ar-catic?" She asked.
"Archaic, honey…" Maura clarified as she gave Jane a stern look. "And here you're always telling me I use words way above her vocabulary level."
"Archaic is another way of saying 'old fashioned'..." Jane said. When Valley continued to look at her with wide eyes filled with confusion, Jane decided she should elaborate. "Some people think it's not okay for boys and girls to like the same things. Like blue is for boys and pink is for girls…"
"But I like blue…" Valley's lip jutted out again. "And Li likes pink…"
"And in this house, that is okay. Most people will agree… but there will always be those who think we should fit into some kind of mold that society has set for gender identity…" Maura began to ramble.
"Whoa…" Jane laughed as she picked Valley up. "No worries here, honey. You can like whatever you want and so can Li… and that means if he wants to wear a dress, then so be it. Besides, the Scots wear kilts and those are just pretty much skirts for guys."
"But I wanna wear the dress…" Valley tried to plead her case.
"We've talked about sharing before. Why don't you let him wear it for a little while and then offer him something else? You know how quickly his attention is diverted." Maura tried to offer a solution.
Nodding in understanding, Valley's tears began to subside. "So it's okay for him to wear a dress? Noah said I would get in trouble for letting him do it. I didn't want you to be mad at me."
"Hmm… I guess I might have to have a little talk with Frankie…" Jane pursed her lips together into a grim line.
"It's perfectly okay with us, honey. You never have to worry about that in this home. You are both free to like and dislike whatever you want." Maura said.
"So it's okay if I wanna wear a dress sometimes? But only sometimes… I don't like them that much because it's too hard to climb on the jungle gym at school in one…" Valley started to ramble on like Maura.
"Just like your Mama, here…" Maura reached over to touch Jane on the arm. "Although I think you both look beautiful in the right dress, I completely understand how they can inhibit your freedom to be who you are."
"Dress or no dress, kiddo… we're behind you no matter what." Jane offered an alternative to Maura's explanation and then laughed when Valley seemed to finally understand. "So, how about we go check out your brother and see if he wears it better than you."
"No way…" Valley laughed along with Jane. "Okay… maybe he does…" she conceded with a grin.
"No judgment from us… ever. You know that… right?" Maura turned serious as she gave Valley's nose a gentle tug. "If you have questions about anything, you can come to one of us. We'll always be honest with you and never be mad at your curiosity."
"Okay, Mommy…" Valley seemed satisfied with how things had transpired and so did both Jane and Maura.
"All-righty then, now that we have that taken care of… let's go check on your brother..." Jane said as she picked Valley up and threw her over her shoulder. "And don't think I forgot what you said earlier…" she tossed a glance over her shoulder at Maura as she tickled Valley's side.
With a quick wink and dashing smirk, Jane disappeared around the corner leaving Maura alone with her thoughts… thoughts about the struggle of raising her children to be open-minded, loving, and accepting of everyone. And then the realization hit her that just before Valley had appeared and interrupted her and Jane, they had just found out she was pregnant. She was pregnant… and that thought alone lifted her heart filling her with the hope that she and Jane would be able to navigate whatever society threw their way… that no matter what… their children would be loved and accepted wholeheartedly.
YYY
"Hey, what's wrong?" Maura asked as she wrapped her arms around Jane's shoulders from behind and pulled until their bodies touched.
Jane took a deep breath before exhaling slowly as she ran her fingers through her tangle of dark, wet hair. She had just showered and her hair was still curly because she hadn't bothered to dry it. Her baggy sweats and oversized t-shirt indicated she wasn't in any hurry to get dressed, even though they were supposed to have dinner with their mothers in a few short hours.
When Jane didn't answer, Maura placed her cheek against the soft, warm one that was so close to her own. She could feel the strain on her lower back as she continued to bend so she could be close to Jane who was sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of amber liquid that Maura quickly identified as whiskey. Frowning, she watched as Jane brought the glass up to her lips and took a long, slow drink, allowing the whiskey to roll over her tongue before swallowing with a slight wince. The glass did not have any ice in it and Maura knew Jane well enough to know that a whiskey neat spelled trouble.
"You're drinking in the middle of the afternoon. Not your usual MO for after picking up the kids… what's happened? And where are they?" Maura glanced up as she tilted her head to listen for the sound of playing children coming from upstairs.
"Ma has them..." Jane said as she looked straight ahead, a slightly dazed look on her face.
"Hey… what's going on? You're starting to scare me…" Maura released Jane from the comfort she was offering. It was obvious that Jane wasn't in the mood for comfort at the moment. Moving around so she could sit next to her at the table, she looked at the glass of whiskey and then back up at Jane who continued to stare straight ahead. "Jane? Talk to me…"
"I talked to Frankie today…" Jane started to say but paused to take another drink, wincing as she swallowed it down before continuing. "You remember what Noah said to Valley…?"
Maura blinked a few times as she tried to recall what had happened over the weekend before she nodded her understanding. "I do. And I assume your talk with Frankie didn't go well?" She ventured to ask.
Jane shook her head as tears leaked from the corners of her eyes causing her to wipe at them in frustration. "Steph's ex is trying to take custody of Noah from them." She finally said after a moment of hesitation… or perhaps the tears were making it difficult for her to speak.
"What? I don't understand… I thought he signed his parental rights away."
"Apparently not since he found out that Frankie has a sister who is a deviant." Jane offered a bitter laugh as she wiped the remaining tears away from her face.
"Excuse me?" Maura sat up straight, her brows creasing in confusion. She thought that she must have misunderstood or that Jane couldn't have possibly said what she thought she said. "There must be some kind of mistake or something."
"Or something!" Jane said as she slapped her hand down on the table, startling Maura and causing her to jump. "That asshole found out that Noah has been spending a lot of time with us and… well… up until lately… he didn't know we were lezbo's… as he so eloquently put it."
"That's absurd…" Maura's mouth dropped open in surprise.
"He said he didn't want his son to be around the likes of us or it could make him the same way. I know he probably used more colorful language but I think Frankie was trying to spare my feelings."
"Too late for that…" Maura huffed. "So what's gonna happen?"
"Well…" the corner of Jane's mouth twitched up into a wicked grin. "He's gonna get a taste of how BPD takes care of its own. We're all family… gay, straight, whatever… when it comes to wearing the uniform. By the time this is over, he won't be able to walk across the street without getting a jaywalking ticket. In fact, it's already started. He somehow has incurred five parking tickets over the past week…"
"Are you talking about harassment?" Maura asked with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. She did not condone harassment but perhaps she could look the other way this one time.
"Hey… Boston's finest do not harass…" Jane started to say then huffed in indignation at Maura's raised eyebrow challenging her logic. "He is merely being reminded what it means to be a model citizen in this city and if that means he is handed a few extra tickets along the way… well… then so be it. I just think he needs a little reminder that Steph and Frankie are great parents and that he gave up his parental rights so Noah could have a better life."
"Well, we both know that homophobia is a chronic problem in this country. And it seems like it is taking root more so now than ever before." Maura shook her head sadly.
"When we're done, that fucker won't know what's up or down, for that matter..." Jane said as she finished off the last dredges of her drink in one large gulp.
"While I don't condone harassment… I think this may be one time where the punishment fits the crime."
"The thing is…" Jane took a deep breath again before letting it out on a shaky exhale. "Frankie wasn't even worried about the custody battle… he was more worried about how it would make us feel. For the past two months, that asshole has been giving them hell because they have been bringing Noah around us. I can't fucking believe people still act like this. It's 2022 for Christ's sake."
"Unfortunately, we seem to be moving backward lately… or at least it feels that way for many people. I guess there is some truth to that fragile male ego thing… especially when it comes to homophobia."
"I'm just sick of it..." Jane said with a huff. "But I'm confident he won't get away with it. I guess that's where Noah has been getting some of those ideas he's been sharing with Valley lately."
"Stands to reason. It really has confused her though. We need to make sure we're here for any questions she might have as things progress. I don't think we're at the end of the tunnel yet and Noah may still pick up on some of those despicable ideas his father seems to live by." Maura placed her chin in the palm of her hands and took a long, deep breath.
"Yeah, well he won't be around Noah much longer. Frankie and Steph have put in for a restraining order until they can deal with the custody battle. Even though they let him have some visitation, they have one big thing going for them and that is that he signed over all parental rights so that gives them some wiggle room. The only reason he wants custody is to screw with them… and us." Jane sighed heavily at the thought that her and Maura's love for each other could cause so much trouble for some people.
"Well, we'll be here to fight alongside them every step of the way if need be..." Maura said with conviction in her voice.
"Oh, you can count on that. I've already got Liam on the case… that dude's got some shady shit in his background and I have a feeling when he finds out what we know, he'll quickly move on to something else." Jane offered Maura a quick smile.
"Um… do you feel better?" Maura asked as she nodded towards the empty glass in front of Jane.
Glancing down at the glass, Jane's cheeks flushed a light pink… whether it was from her slight embarrassment or the warmth of the whiskey now flowing through her veins, she wasn't sure nor did she care. "We've got a couple of hours before dinner… um… you wanna lay down for a bit? I sure could use the warmth and comfort of your arms around me right now." She asked with a hopeful glint in her dark eyes.
"I think that can be arranged." Maura's face softened and a gentle smile curved her lips.
Jane pushed away from the table, stood, and then held her hand out to Maura to help her to her feet as well. "You have no idea how glad I am that you're home."
"I might have some idea." Maura took the hand being offered to her. "What time is dinner again?"
"We have until six-thirty," Jane said as she pulled Maura to her so they could hug. "I've already taken a shower but I think I might be persuaded to take another one…" she wiggled her eyebrows playfully.
"Well, by all means… let's make the most of our limited time together before we have to let the world back in..." Maura said as she led Jane up the stairs and to the sanctuary of their bedroom where peace, love, and happiness still reigned supreme.
YYY
"I talked to Frankie and he told me everything." Angela leaned close to Jane, speaking in a hushed tone. "And I will be one of those character witness type people if they have to go to court. We won't let that asshole take Noah away from Frankie and Steph…"
"Ma!" Jane turned to mother with a look of surprise at the use of a curse word.
"Yeah, I said it… asshole. That man is one giant… asshole!" Angela huffed loudly drawing curious glances from Maura and Constance.
"Simmer down there Rambo. I don't think it will come to court. That… asshole… as you put it, will probably see the light before too long. I have a feeling he may change his mind about everything."
Angela turned and eyed Jane suspiciously. "What are you saying?"
"I'm not saying anything." Jane gave her mother an exaggerated wink. "And please keep your voice down, Ma… there are ears everywhere listening… like little ears that don't need to hear any of this."
Angela cleared her throat in acknowledgment but then gave Jane a wary look. "I don't want to know what you and your brother are up to." She sighed heavily.
"Come on, Ma… it's nothing illegal or anything like that. We're just gonna remind him that he gave up his parental rights and it needs to stay that way, especially with the baby on the way." Jane glanced over at Maura who was in a deep discussion with Constance and got a soft, encouraging smile in return. Her eyes moved over to Valley who was helping Li chase some peas around on his plate and her heart filled with the love she felt for her family. "I promise it will all work out." She turned to Angela and smiled that self-assured smile that showed off her dimples.
"I can't believe my two boys are gonna be dads… it's so exciting." Angela beamed but then turned to Jane with an expectant expression on her face. "And perhaps you and Maura might have some news to share with us tonight, as well." She offered Jane a knowing wink before turning her attention to the conversation between Maura and Constance with mild interest.
Jane shook her head and rolled her eyes dramatically. How could her mother read them like an open book? "How did you know?" She whispered to Angela who just continued to watch Maura and Constance with a sly grin on her face. "Come on, Ma…" Jane whined impatiently.
"Just look at her…" Angela nodded in Maura's direction. "She's glowing. How could I not know? And I suspect that Constance has figured it out as well."
"You've got to be kidding me. We can't even surprise you all anymore…" Jane sighed as she took her mother's advice and looked at Maura… really looked at her. "You're right though, she is glowing. I don't think she's ever been more beautiful than she is right now."
Angela reached up and cupped Jane's chin before giving her cheek a gentle pat. "You can say that again. Positively radiant. Almost as beautiful as you were when you were pregnant with Li."
"Nah, Maura is definitely more beautiful than I was."
"You are both equally beautiful… how about we agree on that." Angela chuckled lightly, drawing Maura and Constance's attention.
"What's so funny over there?" Maura asked, searching Jane's eyes for any clue as to what was so funny.
"Nothing, I was just realizing that both of our mothers make better detectives than I ever did." Jane let out a heavy sigh in resignation. "I think that maybe the cat's out of the bag…" she gave Maura an apologetic smile.
"Oh… is this it… are you finally gonna tell us the news?" Constance asked as she looked between Jane and Maura, excitement alight in her eyes.
For a moment, silence settled over the table as all eyes fell on Maura who took a deep breath, and then a slow grin spread across her face. "Um… okay… I guess it's time to reveal the secret…" she reached across the table to take Jane's hand and then glanced at Valley with a reassuring smile to let her know that this was a good thing. "We're pregnant… um… I mean… I'm pregnant…" Maura rambled on as she dropped her gaze to her and Jane's hands and their intertwined fingers. "We're having a baby."
"Mommy… you're going to have a baby?" Valley was the first to speak as a smile spread across her face. "It's a girl, isn't it? It has to be a girl! I'm gonna have a baby sister…" she started to crow. "Li, we're gonna have a baby sister!" Her excitement must have been contagious because Li started to laugh and bang his plastic spoon on his plate.
"Well, Valley honey… we aren't sure yet if it's a boy or girl." Maura tried to explain.
"Oh, it's gonna be a girl..." Valley said matter-of-factually.
"We'll see…" Jane laughed as she gave Maura's hand a gentle squeeze.
"This is wonderful news." Constance clapped her hands together. Although she wasn't able to have a baby, she was happy that Maura would have the experience herself. "I'm so happy for you both."
"I'm gonna have three grandbabies at once!" Angela started to clap and bounce around in her chair.
"Not all at once. I think Tommy's girl is due in July and Frankie and Steph are due in September… Maura probably isn't due until November or December." Jane tried to correct her mother.
"Doesn't matter…" Angela gave Jane an annoyed look as if to chastise her for interfering with her fun. "They will all be a few months apart."
"Okay… I'll give you that." Jane conceded.
"How did you know?" Maura asked as she looked at Angela and then Constance.
"Well, you're positively glowing." Angela reached over to touch Maura on the arm. "It's quite obvious."
"It wasn't quite so obvious to me, but I did notice you have this look about you that is different. I couldn't quite place my finger on it until Angela filled in the gaps." Constance offered an embarrassed smile. She placed a hand on top of Jane and Maura's and Angela followed with her own. "I'm so happy for you both… or should I say all four of you." She nodded toward Valley and Li who were in deep conversation about what having a baby sister would entail.
"While there is no scientific proof that pregnant women glow…" Maura laughed when Angela poked her lip out and frowned. "I do feel different and I suppose that shows somewhat on the outside…" she waved a hand over herself.
"I'd say you're beautiful…" Jane said as her eyes roamed over Maura with a dreamy gaze. "Absolutely stunning…"
Maura's cheeks flushed a light pink at the compliment. "No, no one is as beautiful as you were…"
"All pregnant women are beautiful..." Constance said.
For a moment, everyone was quiet as they all contemplated their own thoughts. The silence didn't last long, it was interrupted by Li who started to squirm in his high chair, drawing the attention away from the topic at hand.
"Potty…" he said as he tried to get up. "Mama… potty!" He said more urgently as he continued to wiggle around.
At first, Jane wasn't sure what her son was trying to say but then it hit her like a ton of bricks. "Oh my God… he's asking to use the potty." She turned to Maura who was beaming at her with pride.
"See I told you he'd figure it out." Maura laughed.
"Potty… Mama… Li go potty…" he said as he finally freed himself from his seat with the help of Valley. "Come…" he grabbed Jane by the hand and pulled her from her seat and led her towards the bathroom where they had put a small training toilet.
"This is the first time he's asked on his own..." Maura said to Angela and Constance who were looking at her with curiosity. "I think he's finally understanding the concept."
"Wow… another reason to celebrate the day." Constance held her glass of wine up to Angela's and waited for the other woman to clink them in a toast.
"Here's to grandbabies and potty training…" Angela grinned as she tapped her glass to Constance's before taking a drink. "And now, how about you and I do the dishes and head back to my place where I have a very special bottle of wine I've been waiting to open. I think this just might be the right time…" she offered Constance a quick wink. "And why don't you call Bree and invite her over to celebrate with us."
"I can do that." Constance smiled at the thoughtful invitation to include the woman she had fallen in love with. "And thank you…" she tilted her glass to Angela before taking another sip.
"Of course, Bree is a part of the family now." Angela gave Constance a sideways glance. "Do you have any news you'd like to share with us?"
Constance sat up straight, having been taken by surprise. She glanced at Maura who was watching her carefully to see if she would give anything away. "Um, well… no… not to speak of…" she rambled on nervously. "I mean… no… not yet…"
"Not yet?" Maura leaned her elbows on the table and rested her chin in her hand as looked at her mother thoughtfully. "It's something you've thought about though, isn't it?"
"Um… no… maybe… yes…" the words came out in a steady string as Constance swirled the wine around in her glass, her eyes tracing the red wine as it slid down the sides of her glass. "I don't know… I just never thought I'd want to get married after your father but… well…"
"Things change." Maura touched Constance's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
"Yes, I suppose they do… change… I mean. I don't know if it's something she might want. I mean I am a bit older than her so I'm not sure she would want to be chained down to someone my age…" Constance's voice trailed off.
"She'd be crazy not to..." Angela said with a huff. "You are a beautiful woman full of life and vitality… age is just a number." She should know, there were almost twenty years between her and Davi.
"Yes, it is just a number… isn't it." Constance smiled. "So with that being said, yes… I've thought about it."
"I'm happy for you, mom and she'd be lucky to have you." Maura knew that Constance wasn't seeking her permission… her reassurance maybe, but not her permission. "And if you do take that next step… we'll be with you every step of the way."
"Well, while I appreciate all of the support… I'm not quite there… yet." Constance offered Maura a quick wink. "And now, I guess I need to help Angela with the dishes…"
"Here let me help…" Maura said as she tried to stand and grab a few plates.
"No, you sit back and relax…" Angela jumped up and grabbed the dishes before Maura could protest.
"We've got this..." Constance said as she followed Angela's lead.
Maura smiled as she watched Constance and Angela move about in a flurry of activity. She was glad she didn't have to get up but then Valley caught her eye. "Hey, why don't you help Gigi and Nona with the dishes. I'm sure they would appreciate it."
"Okay, Mommy…" Valley grabbed her and Li's plates and followed the grandmother's into the kitchen, leaving Maura alone for the first time that evening.
Letting out a heavy, tired sigh, Maura sat back and placed her hands on her stomach, and smiled. She was only eight weeks pregnant but she swore she could feel the flutter of light movement where her hands rested even though she knew it wasn't medically possible yet. It wouldn't be long though, she thought to herself. She didn't hear Jane come in as she continued to silently contemplate the changes taking place inside and outside of her body so she jumped slightly when Jane bent to place a kiss to her neck, taking her by surprise.
"Hey beautiful, I didn't mean to startle you..." Jane whispered into Maura's ear.
"I was just thinking…" Maura sighed against the warmth of Jane's lips moving along the expanse of exposed skin under her ear.
"Hmm… me too." Jane pressed her lips to the shell of Maura's ear before pulling back far enough to look down. "I was just thinking about these…" she reached down and poked a finger in Maura's cleavage. "They were absolutely magnificent before… but now… well… I don't have a word to describe how much better than magnificent they are…"
"How about epic… glorious… majestic…" Maura shivered as Jane's finger grazed the skin along the tops of her breasts.
"Hmmm… how about I show you exactly what I mean later tonight?"
"Twice in one day? And it isn't even my birthday." Maura tilted her head up so she could look at Jane.
"I have a feeling twice a day might not cut it in the coming months with these tempting me along the way." Jane reached down and gave Maura's breasts a gentle squeeze before quickly letting go so she wouldn't get caught with her hand in the proverbial cookie jar, so to speak.
"I am looking forward to every minute of being pregnant." Maura leaned her head against Jane's.
"Me too." Jane laughed as she finally stood up straight. "Oh, Li finally hit the target… he got it in the little portable potty. I think we may be on the way to full-blown potty trained." She grinned down at Maura.
"I told you he would eventually understand." Maura reached up and gave Jane's cheek a light pat.
"How about I get the kids their bath's going and put them to bed so we can spend some quality time together..." Jane said as she wiggled her eyebrows.
"Sounds like a plan to me. I think our moms are going to continue celebrating at the cottage after they finish with the dishes so we should be alone by…" Maura glanced at the grandfather clock that stood against the wall, tall and stoic. "I'm thinking by about ten…"
"Okay… just sit back and relax and I'll meet you upstairs…" Jane pointed to the ceiling above her head. "In our room at ten…" she said as she turned to leave but stopped when Maura grabbed her arm and pulled her back.
"I love you, my sweet Jane…" Maura said as she pulled Jane down far enough to place a slow, passion-filled kiss on waiting lips. "You are my world and I love you more each and every day. I can't wait to see what comes next."
"We have an everlasting love that brings me joy and happiness beyond anything I could have ever imagined. You are my everything, Maur…" Jane cleared her now dry throat.
"You'd better get out of here before I change my mind and ravish you right here and now…" Maura gave Jane a gentle push.
"You are insatiable, my dear… but I wouldn't have it any other way." Jane laughed as she headed toward the bathroom where Li was waiting for her.
When Maura found herself alone again, she let out a long, slow sigh. Things were changing fast… she was changing as well, but it was all for the good. Their life together was coming full circle as they readied themselves for a new addition and all the fun and excitement that came along with a new baby. It wouldn't be a cakewalk, Maura knew that to be true but with Jane by her side, they could do anything… meet any challenge present to them along the way and she couldn't wait to see what was on the other side of tomorrow.