Christmas Eve – 5 months later

"Hurry up Maur! It's starting!" Jane called, from her position on Maura's couch. She glanced over her shoulder to see her wife dumping popcorn from the microwave into a bowl. "This is like, the one night we have together for the next three weeks and Rudolph is starting! Get your ass over here!"

"Okay, okay! If someone hadn't insisted we had to have popcorn right at the last minute, we wouldn't be in this situation." Maura tried to glare at Jane, but ended up cracking a smile when Jane rolled her eyes.

Maura padded over to the couch, placing the large bowl of popcorn on the table. Jane lifted the large fleece blanket in invitation, and Maura slid under it without hesitation, curling up against Jane's side. Out of habit, she reached for Jane's hand to hold. "What are we watching again?"

"Rudolph The Red-nosed Reindeer. This movie is a classic, and I am personally offended by the fact that you have never seen it." Jane emphasized her point with a kiss to Maura's temple, before reaching out for the popcorn bowl. "It's Claymation and kind of cheesy, but it's a Rizzoli Christmas favorite." She offered the bowl to Maura, who stuck her free hand out from under the blanket and grabbed a handful of the salty snack.

Both women had managed to arrange to have Christmas Eve off. They knew that since they were in new positions, they were likely going to be expected to work on Christmas and New Years, so that the more senior doctors and officers could spend time with their families. Even though Jane had basically been living at Maura's for the last few months (officially since the beginning of December), they hadn't had much time together, and were enjoying a low-key night in each other's company. They had gotten together with family for a late lunch, and had enjoyed a raucous gift exchange with Frankie and Tommy, capped off by a rare appearance from Frank Sr. It was fun, but both Jane and Maura were looking forward to spending some alone time together, which Jane had decided would start with introducing Maura to classic Christmas movies.

As the movie played, Jane found herself focusing on Maura instead of the movie. She watched as Maura reacted to different parts of the movie, a smile playing across her own lips each time her wife laughed or smiled. Eventually, Maura caught on to Jane's scrutiny, blushing as she met Jane's gaze. Maura reached out and paused the movie.

"What?"

"Nothing." Jane put the bowl of popcorn back onto the coffee table. She leaned back against the cushions, pulling Maura with her as they reclined a little more. Maura settled in easily against Jane's chest, and Jane reached up and tangled her hand in soft blonde waves. Her eyes scanned the room, stopping on the large Christmas tree that Maura had woken her up extra early to cut down and then decorate a few days ago. Angela had given Jane some of her childhood ornaments, which looked a little out of place among the expensive glass ornaments that Maura had purchased. In the end, it was Maura who insisted the handmade ornaments be put onto the tree, and couldn't be convinced otherwise. There were a few small gifts under the tree that were the next item on the agenda after the movie.

As Jane twirled a strand of Maura's hair around her finger, she continued her scan of the room. She had only been officially moved in for three weeks, but there had been evidence of Jane living here for much longer. Her collection of DVD's had been added to Maura's, her laptop was charging on the floor beside the coffee table. Jane's favorite hockey stick was leaning in the corner of the entryway, with her beat-up hockey skates resting nearby. Her boots lay next to a pair of Maura's favorite heels, her uniform cap hanging on a hook several feet directly above. As Jane took in all of her things around the room, the one thing that was the most important and made her feel like she was home was snuggled up against her. Maura.

It certainly had not been easy, juggling their relationship between two careers that took so much out of them. There had been a three-week span around Thanksgiving where they had seen each other for a total of fifteen hours. Jane had come home after her shift one night to wake up Maura and announce she was moving in. But as they had settled into their jobs and responsibilities, they had also settled into their relationship. When they were together, it was easy. Laughter was a common occurrence, and it hadn't taken Maura long to catch on to Jane's sarcasm, often responding to it with an eye-roll that Jane loved. Comfort became something they sought out, finding themselves wrapped around each other more often than not, usually in bed.

Jane kissed the top of Maura's head, watching Maura's eyelashes flutter as her eyes opened. Maura shifted onto her stomach, settling directly on top of Jane so she could look at her.

"What are you thinking about?" Maura brought her hands up and rested her chin on them.

Jane smiled affectionately. "You." She admired the gorgeous woman on top of her.

Maura returned the smile, albeit a sleepy one. "Oh? And what about me?"

"I love you." Jane traced along the slope of Maura's jaw with the back of her finger. She had known it for a long time, but hadn't said those words to Maura before.

Hearing those words, Maura struggled to contain her emotions. Joyful tears began to well up in her eyes, and she blinked them back as she moved to sit up, straddling Jane. Capturing Jane's face between both hands gently, she leaned in and kissed her wife long and hard. Pulling back, she let out something that sounded like a mixture between a sob and a laugh.

"I love you too Jane." Maura laughed at how good those words sounded. She brushed the tears away with the back of her hand and leaned in for another sweet kiss. "I love you so much."

Tears stung in Jane's eyes too, but she grinned broadly at the woman perched on her lap. She couldn't imagine being happier than she felt right now. She was having a hard time forming words, but managed to put herself together after a few more seconds. "So does this mean our trial marriage was a success?" She struggled to sit up with Maura still straddling her. "I mean, you just told me you loved me…so that sounds pretty clear to me…"

Suddenly, Maura slid off her lap and Jane tried to grab her and bring her back. Maura slapped her hands away and moved toward the tree.

"I'm just getting something. One second." Jane watched her locate an envelope tucked beside the tree stand and move back to the couch. Maura settled on top of Jane again and offered the envelope to Jane.

"I thought we were doing presents later Maur." Jane looked up at her inquisitively.

"We are. I just thought this one seemed appropriate for right now. Just open it." She urged.

Maura watched Jane slide one finger under the flap and open the envelope. Tucked inside was a card. Jane opened the card and a folded paper fell out.

"Read the card first." Maura urged.

Jane followed directions.

Merry Christmas, my beautiful wife.

Every day I wake up next to you and feel like the luckiest woman in the world. Six months ago, I didn't see this kind of happiness in my future, but then you came along and changed everything, even if it was in the most unexpected way possible. Thank you for the best months of my life Jane, I can't wait to experience the coming months and years with you by my side.

With all my love,

Maura

PS-I burned the annulment papers weeks ago.

Jane let out a loud laugh at the last line, looking up from the card and finding Maura watching her. It wasn't until Maura swiped her thumb across Jane's cheek that she realized she had been crying. She reached up and held Maura's wrist, keeping her hand in place against her cheek, savoring the soft touch of Maura's skin against hers.

"There's more." Maura said softly, nodding at the piece of paper that had fallen onto the floor. Jane took a deep breath to steady herself, suddenly feeling overwhelmed by the intense emotions she was feeling. She reached out her hand and picked up the paper. She unfolded it slowly, and began to scan it. Maura had to smile when she saw Jane's eyes widen at what she was reading.

"Is this what I think it is?" Jane looked up from the paper before starting to read it again. When she finished reading it for a second time, she looked up at Maura for confirmation. "You changed your name?"

It was Maura's turn to let out a loud laugh, smiling and laughing and nodding her head. A couple of days ago she managed to sneak away on her lunch break to submit the paperwork to change her name. She had been contemplating it for a while, and had decided it would make a great Christmas gift for Jane. She had been right, as Jane's giddy reaction was certainly making the hassle worth it.

"Maura Isles-Rizzoli. Oh. My. God. I can't believe you did this!" Jane's mouth was hanging open comically. Maura silenced her with a kiss.

"I figured there was no better way to let you know how serious I was about this than to change my name. It's better to do it now versus later in my career when I am an established Medical Examiner." She shrugged. "Dr. Maura Isles-Rizzoli…it has a nice ring to it, I think."

Jane's arms wrapped tightly around Maura's waist, pulling her in tightly against Jane's body. "I love you Maura Isles-Rizzoli. I love you so much." Jane's hands slid under Maura's pajama top, roaming across smooth skin as she captured Maura's lips in a searing kiss. It didn't take long for Maura to respond in kind, her tongue dancing seductively across Jane's lips before slipping inside. Maura felt Jane's long fingers unbuttoning her pajama top, and pulled away from the kiss briefly.

"What about the movie?" She asked breathlessly.

Her top was discarded over the back of the couch seconds later, and Jane pulled her in for another heated kiss. "It can wait." She growled, yanking her own top off above her head. "Right now I'm giving my irresistibly sexy wife her present." Maura moaned as Jane's hands made their way over her abdomen and up toward her breasts, igniting a fire deep within her body.

Maura lay sprawled across the bed, panting heavily as she watched the hand of the clock tick closer to midnight. The sweat on her skin was starting to dry, and goosebumps started to appear on her skin from the cool air. She watched the clock hands pass the twelve, indicating that it was now officially Christmas. Shivering slightly, she scooted over to a very sleepy Jane and pulled the comforter over both of their naked bodies. Jane opened her eyes as they snuggled together under the warm blankets.

"Merry Christmas Jane." Maura kissed her forehead, and Jane responded by wrapping her arms around Maura tightly.

"Merry Christmas Maura. Love you." Jane returned the kiss, placing a gentle one on Maura's lips.

They were still for several minutes, and their breathing evened out. Maura trailed her fingertips against Jane's upper arm, not ready to surrender this moment with her wife to sleep just yet.

"Jane?"

"Hmm?" Came the sleepy reply.

"Do you ever regret anything about this? About us?"

In the dark, Maura could see Jane crack one eye open. It shut again after a few seconds. Maura felt Jane exhale slowly beside her.

"Maura, the only thing I regret about you and I was that I missed the first ten hours of our marriage because we were drunk. I never want to miss one second with you, and I'll never get that time back." Jane replied quietly. She opened both eyes to look at Maura, wanting to gauge her reaction to Jane's response.

A slow smile spread across Maura's face, and she nuzzled her face into Jane's chest, pressing a kiss between Jane's breasts. "I love you." She murmured against warm skin.

"I love you too Maura."

A truly heartfelt thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who took the time to read this story. You are all so incredibly encouraging, and I wish that I had time to respond to each and every one of you. Your comments and even your criticism helped this story to become what it is.

Some of you expressed your wishes for me to just continue this story instead of writing a sequel. I feel like the story arc I was going for has finished, which is why I am ending this and not just continuing. But, I do plan on starting work on a sequel, probably picking the story up a couple of years later, when Maura is finishing her residency and Jane is moving up into undercover work or whatever. I don't know when I will start writing it, but keep an eye out, I don't think I will wait too long.

So thank you again for reading. I hope you enjoyed it!