Doctor Maura Dorthea Isles had to attend an important meeting at the Governor's office at 10:00am, the only problem? It was her birthday. She had chosen to work rather than to take the day off in order to celebrate the annual occasion as she preferred to spend the day around her friends who were also working that day as they had an important case that had to be completed which meant that none of them could get the day off.

She had not been to the precinct yet as she had gone straight to her meeting instead and aimed to be back at her office by midday in order to go to lunch with Detective Jane Clementine Rizzoli. She was rather looking forward to spending time with the dark haired Italian woman and she liked the fact that she got to choose the restaurant. The honey blonde woman had chosen a new Italian restaurant not far from the precinct. She had chosen it because she knew that the other woman loved Italian food and she herself was rather fond of Italian (and yes that included the stunning Detective). It was a new restaurant and seemed rather elegant but family friendly at the same time.

The Doctor was sat in her meeting with 11 other people which included the Governor of Massachusetts. The woman looked elegant as per usual and wore a skirt suit with heels and accessories.

At the precinct, the curly haired Detective was busy at work but not the work that Maura thought she would be doing. Instead she was in the morgue. Susie and the others who worked in the morgue had tidied away all of the equipment and of course any traces of it being a morgue such as the body that had been on the metal autopsy table.

The autopsy table had been covered in a paper tablecloth and pushed to the side of the room. On top of the table was a scattering of red metallic confetti shaped like hearts, the aim had been to find some confetti themed around the woman's career but to find accurate shaped body parts seemed to be a little more difficult than Jane had originally thought it to be. It also had confetti shaped in the words 'Happy Birthday', along with streamer shapes and balloons.

Angela had made a variety of party foods that included sausage rolls, small sandwiches, bread sticks, dips, cheese rolls, cocktail sausages, pasta salad, cannolis, and many other foods. Each food was displayed on platters and plate tiers.

In the centre of the table was a large birthday cake that had been ordered by Miss Jane Rizzoli herself. The cake was tiered with three separate tiers with things that the Medical Examiner liked.

The bottom was about her career and so this section featured laboratory instruments and a medical bag - the bag was a replica of the bag that Maura carried with her when she attended a crime scene. A ribbon shaped piece of icing was formed into a bow that resembled the tape from the crime scenes - bright yellow with black writing on it.

The second tier had a replica of Bass on it, Jane had given the bakery company a photo she had taken of the tortoise in order for it to be as accurate as possible and the image was painted onto the icing as Jane knew how much the Medical Examiner appreciated fine art.

Every single aspect of the cake had been carefully thought out and she had put a lot of planning into it.

The third tier of the cake was decorated with fine script on the siding which was in black icing and it formed quotes from Maura's favourite books and poetry pieces.

On the very top of the cake was a topper that featured a baby photo standing up which had been painted by the creator of the cake. The photo had been obtained from Constance Isles in order for the cake to be created. Jane had enjoyed looking through the photos that Maura's adoptive mother had sent her, the woman had printed copies for the Detective and sent them to her in the mail. Coming out from behind the photo was pieces of wire that shot out from the cake and on the ends were stars which made it appear as though fireworks were shooting out from the cake.

Beneath the icing, the bottom tier was a sponge cake made from chocolate and had chocolate icing as well, the middle tier was a vanilla sponge with a strawberry jam and the top tier was a chocolate cake with pistachio mascarpone filling. The bottom tier had been chosen because she herself loved it and because whenever she had it, Maura had a tendency to steal some despite the fact that she would point out how unhealthy the food item was.

Jane was sat in a restaurant in a black dress, and black heels with accessories and her hair was done perfectly along with her make-up.

Maura was sat opposite her with an emerald dress with matching heels and accessories.

When the dessert came, Jane pushed her chocolate cake into the middle with a smirk knowing that the other woman would want some. Chocolate cake with a chocolate filling.

Maura's face broke out into a huge smile and did the same with hers but the dark haired woman cringed at the idea of consuming any of the pistachio frozen yogurt that resided in the sundae bowl in front of her.

The middle tier had been chosen at the insistence of her mother; Ms Angela Rizzoli and after a while had given in to her request for once. Mostly she had been given in so that she could keep the rest of the cake design a secret and stop her mother harassing her about wanting to know what it was. It had been a compromise between the two of them.

The top tier had been decided upon first because Jane knew that the honey blonde was rather fond of pistachio and so she had discussed with the bakery how to include the flavour into the cake.

Another autopsy table was pushed to the other side and was also covered with a paper table cloth but that table had a pile of presents on top of it. Some were square, some rectangular and various other shapes. A mix of colours and patterns adorned the paper covered presents on the table along with a few different bottles of wine that were inside wine bottle gift bags.

Helium balloons were being held down by weights that were wrapped in shiny paper, the balloons were various colours and shapes. Banners were stuck to the doors and walls, paper streamers were dangling from the ceiling and strung up around shelves, sides and doors. It was clear that the Detective had put a lot of thought and effort into the details of the party. She had even made her own banners and decorated them with medical supplies and equipment, drawn and shaded in by herself. The curly haired woman had been working secretly for months on the various items for the party she had planned.

She had spent almost two hours making it perfect and had refused help, wanting to do it herself. She had locked everyone out of the morgue so that she wouldn't be bothered and that nobody would peak. Those working in the morgue had spent the morning in the cafe with complimentary coffee and pastries from the Rizzoli matriarch. Angela saw it as compensation for her daughter 'rudely' kicking them out of their own workspace.

TEXT: [11:36] From: Maura, To: Jane

I will be back at the precinct in approximately 15 minutes. Are you still able to come to lunch?

TEXT: [11:38] From: Jane, To: Maura

Of course I am! Happy Birthday Maura!

Maura found herself grinning as she sat in her car reading the text before placing the down to the side of her in order to drive. She didn't text back but the grin didn't leave her face.

TEXT: [11:38] From: Jane, To: Ma

Ma! Maura will be here in 15

TEXT: [11:39] From: Ma, To Jane

I will send everyone down, see you in a minute. Can't wait to see the cake!

Jane laughed softly at the text from her mother and shook her head, the woman had been eager to find out what the cake would be like considering Jane had spent so much time trying to design it.

Angela had done exactly what she had said she would and gathered everyone, sending each and every one of them into the morgue. She was happy to be able to do something towards the party which was why she had loved baking and cooking the various food items. It was after all for her 'unofficially adopted' daughter.

At 11:45, the people who worked with Maura in the morgue were back in their workspace which had been dramatically altered in aid of the Doctor's birthday and they were not going to be working today. Nobody was. Jane's co-workers were also there along with her family and Maura's adoptive mother. Jane refused to allow anyone to eat the food until Maura arrived but they were permitted to drink - of course.

The curly haired woman did a quick check of everything in the room and smirked as Angela smacked Frankie's hand when he attempted to steal a cannoli from the table. She ran upstairs to stand in the lobby awaiting the beautiful Medical Examiner.

She was getting impatient or rather she was simply eager to see Maura's face. She had a coffee in her hands and as she saw Maura approach the precinct she pretended she was just walking out of the cafe. The honey blonde smiled brightly as she saw the dark haired woman, "Jane!", she called out to the woman.

Jane pretended to just notice her and her face broke into a huge 'just for Maura' smile, "Hey Maur', How'd the meeting go?", she enquired gently as she touched her arm gently. It wasn't a movement that was on purpose but it seemed to be her own greeting for the woman and she began to walk towards the elevator.

Maura smiled softly, she was always glad when the Detective took an interest in what she did or said, "It was …", she paused and sighed, "Incredibly boring".

The two women stood in the elevator and the Detective pressed the button for the level of the morgue and moved back to the side of the Medical Examiner, "I'm sure we can turn the day around for you and make it the best birthday ever", she said with a slight smirk and took hold Maura's hand before she squeezed it gently.

The honey blonde woman smiled softly and leant her head temporarily on the Detective's shoulder, "I have been looking forward to lunch all day", she revealed to the woman.

The metal box came to a stop and the two women separated from each other, as they stepped out they were greeted by multiple employees of the Boston Police Department shouting the word 'Surprise'.

Jane's eyes were focused solely on the beautiful blonde beside her, and the woman's face broke into a smile as she saw her reaction.

Maura's hands came up to cover her mouth as her face showed shock, and her eyes teared up with happiness. The woman turned to Jane and smiled brightly before launching herself at her, throwing herself into her arms happily. "Thank you Jane", she said happily as she hugged the Italian woman, "Thank you so much". She had never had a surprise birthday party and so Jane had made it her mission to make it happen and to make it the best party that she possibly could.

The Detective grinned as she wrapped her arms around the blonde's waist and held her close, her face hidden by the blonde locks. She was rather proud of her achievement. The achievement of putting such a huge smile on the Medical Examiner's face. Maura's face. Her best friend's face. The face of the woman she loved.

"Happy Birthday Maura", the dark haired Italian said with a huge smile.

Maura looked up at her with a huge smile on her face, her arms still looped around the other woman's neck, "Thank you", she repeated in a whisper before she went up onto her toes, pulling the woman close, her hand threaded through dark curls and kissed the Detective passionately. She smiled into the kiss when she felt the other woman kissing her back and pulling her closer.

They broke apart when air was necessary and for Jane to glare at the people in the room who had decided to wolf whistle at the sight.

"I think I need to put these parties on more often", the Detective said with a smirk as she looked down into the eyes of the blonde Doctor.

Maura tilted her head with a little bit of confusion, "That would not be very practical Jane, we do need to work", she asked softly, "But thank you for today… I love it".

Jane couldn't help but laugh, "I meant if I get kissed like that for organising a party.. then I need to organise more", she said so that only Maura could hear but despite the fact that nobody else could hear, she still found herself blushing.

The honey blonde Medical Examiner smiled and reached up to press a soft and loving kiss to her lips, "You don't need to organise a party in order to get a kiss… you never have done", she revealed with a smile.

Angela refused to allow anyone to get any food before the birthday girl got a plate for herself. After greeting her guests, the Medical Examiner got herself something to eat and right behind her was the curly haired Detective.

The Medical Examiner and Detective sat down beside each other on the sofa in Maura's office. People were scattered, some on the floor and others on chairs but all eating and drinking the party food and drink.

Maura hadn't stopped smiling since she had set her eyes upon the curly haired Italian Detective, her Detective. They didn't need to put a label on their relationship yet but after today? The label definitely wasn't as simply as 'best friend'.

When they had finished their food, both empty plastic plates were set on the table and Jane's arm wrapped around the Medical Examiner, tugging her close and smiling with joy. Maura leant into her and rest her head on the shoulder of the dark haired woman, her right hand linked with Jane's left one.

"Thank you", Maura said yet again to the woman beside her, "It's the best birthday I have ever had", she said squeezing her hand.

Jane smiled, "You don't need to thank me Maur', the look on your face was thanks enough", she said leaning her head on top of the blonde's. "It's what you do for those you love", she commented gently.

Maura reached up her left hand to cup the Detective's cheek, and moved to look at her, "I love you too", she said softly before reconnecting their lips.