- The next chapter is the epilogue. It does contain scenes from childbirth so if that bothers you, you might want to skip it.

— Two years later —

"Maura are you sure you still want to do this?" Jane asked, peering down at the blonde who was bouncing slightly on a big exercise ball, hands on her belly.

"Yes, Jane. I'm certain that I want to have this baby at home. We've been over this. I'm perfectly comfortable with our midwife and I don't want to do this in the hospital. Many studies say that the unnecessary interventions in the hospital make labor longer and…"

"Alright, alright." Jane interrupted, squatting down to be eye level with Maura. "I know we've talked about what the statistics say. I just wanted to make sure that this was still what you wanted."

"It is." Maura said simply before leaning forward to kiss Jane. She pulled back and closed her eyes, swaying slightly on the ball.

"Is that another contraction?" Jane asked. Maura didn't open her eyes, but nodded her answer at Jane.

Jane waited until the contraction had ended and Maura opened her eyes again. "Do you want me to call the midwife?"

"Hmm. I'm not sure. I'm still not convinced that this is the real thing." Maura responded, her forehead creasing.

"Can I call her anyway? I really want her here sooner rather than later."

"Jane. You know if she comes too early she's just going to leave. We talked about this in my prenatals. Or were you not paying attention?" Maura teased gently.

Jane huffed, "I was! I just want her here, ya know?"

"You can call her if you really want. But she may not come."

Jane jumped up happily and pulled her cell phone out. She talked with the midwife for a few moments before she asked to speak with Maura.

"Maur, she wants to talk to you." Jane said, handing Maura the phone.

Maura spoke with the midwife for a few minutes, all the while, bouncing slightly on the ball.

"She said she thinks I'm still in early labor." Maura said after hanging up. "She said she's in the office today seeing clients but that she's got a break in an hour or so and she'll come by."

Maura stood up from the ball and came to wrap her arms around Jane's neck. "I'm not worried."

"I know you're not." Jane replied, leaning down to kiss the blonde. "But I am."

"Don't be. It's going to be fine. Women have been giving birth for thousands of years. You know that the first woman to give birth in a hospital—."

Jane interrupted her with another kiss. "I can't believe you still have the brain capacity to spout this stuff off, googlemouth." Jane teased.

—

Maura padded around the house in her yoga pants and an oversized t-shirt doing laundry and preparing a meal to put in the crock pot. She would stop every 10 minutes or so to breathe through a contraction. For the first few minutes Jane had followed Maura around, only a few steps behind her as she went about her chores.

Finally after she had run into Jane twice when she turned around, Maura put her foot down. "Jane. Go find something to do with yourself. You are driving me nuts."

Jane went upstairs to shower and then came back down and sat on the couch. She flipped on a recorded basketball game but couldn't pay attention to it. She found herself spending most of her time watching Maura walk around the kitchen.

"Do you want me to do that?" Jane called to Maura as she unloaded the dishwasher.

"No, its fine. It gives me something to do." Maura replied.

"I'm going to go check on the tub." Jane said, getting up off the couch and making her way into the spare bedroom where their large birth tub was set up.

Jane moved around, checking that all of the supplies they had gathered were in place and then she checked the temperature on the tub, making sure it wasn't too cold. She really couldn't believe she had let Maura talk her into having this baby at home. She knew that Maura had done all the research and that this was where she wanted to be. And secretly, Jane had done quite a bit of reading on it herself, so she knew that it was a good fit for Maura.

Jane made her way back out into the living room. Maura was bent over the counter, swaying her hips, with her eyes closed. Jane came up beside her. She wanted to touch Maura, to hold her, but she wasn't sure that Maura would appreciate that in the middle of a contraction.

Maura opened her eyes after a few seconds. She smiled at Jane, "Hey baby."

"Hey." Jane responded. "Are they still 10 minutes apart?"

"No, probably more like five now." Maura responded as she wrapped her hands around Jane's waist, her big belly between them.

"Really already?" Jane asked, surprised. She ran her hands through Maura's hair, gazing into Maura's eyes.

Maura simply nodded and leaned her weight against Jane. Jane stayed there, breathing in the scent of Maura's shampoo, content to be able to hold her wife and feel like she was helping somehow.

The sound of the phone broke them apart. Maura picked up her cell phone and answered it. From Maura's side of the conversation Jane could tell it was the midwife. Maura answered a few questions and then hung up.

"I told her they were more like 5 minutes apart and she said that she and her assistant would be on their way here in a few minutes." Maura replied as she sat her phone down.

"Maura are we going to have our baby today?" Jane asked, taking Maura's hands in hers.

"I think so, Jane." Maura replied, smiling widely.

—

Jane moved around the house, making sure that everything was in place. She checked the changing table, making sure there were plenty of diapers, then she moved to the bassinet next to the window, rearranging the baby blankets. Maura came in and stood in the doorway of their bedroom watching Jane.

"Can you believe we're going to have a baby today?" She asked, leaning against the door frame.

"Not really." Jane replied, straightening up a blanket and laying a tiny hat on the side of the bassinet. "Honestly I'm not sure I've even come to grips with the fact that there's a real, live baby in there." She said, coming over to put her hands on Maura's belly.

Maura laughed, "Oh there definitely is. This little jumping bean has been moving all over the place today."

"What do you think today, boy or girl?" Jane asked. They had this discussion fairly often and neither woman was completely decided on one over the other.

"Hm. I'm not sure, today I'm thinking maybe a girl." Maura replied. "But I don't care."

"Me either." Jane responded. She felt Maura's stomach tighten under hands.

"Is that a contraction?" Jane asked and Maura nodded. "Thats what it feels like? That is really weird." She said, moving her hands over Maura's stomach, feeling the muscles tighten and her skin pull taut. Jane spread her fingers over Maura's belly, keeping her touch light.

She waited until Maura's breathing slowed and she opened her eyes. "That was a really weird feeling." Jane said and Maura laughed.

Just then the doorbell rang. "Must be Susan." Maura said as they made their way to the front door. Jane opened it and ushered in the petite brunette woman that was their midwife.

"Hello, my dears. How is everyone?" She asked, slipping her shoes off and setting her bags down.

"Hey, don't ask me. I'm not the one having a baby." Jane said, holding her hands up. Susan laughed and turned to Maura.

"Pretty good." Maura answered. "I think they're still every five minutes now."

"Good." Susan responded. "My assistant Maddie should be here in a few minutes, but lets take a listen to baby." She reached in one of her bags and pulled out a handheld doppler. She had used the same thing at the office to check the baby's heart rate in their prior visits.

They moved into the living room and Maura sat back on her ball. Susan leaned beside her, holding the wand over Maura's belly. The baby's heart beat filled the room and Jane squeezed Maura's hand. It didn't seem to matter how many times they'd listened to the heartbeat or seen the baby on the ultrasound it still amazed Jane every time that they were hearing their baby.

"Everything sounds good." Susan replied after listening for a while. She left to get a few things out of her car. She came back in with her assistant and they moved into the spare bedroom to set up some of their equipment.

"You just do whatever feels right to you." Susan instructed Maura before leaving the couple alone.

The two women settled down to watch a movie, Jane hoping that it would keep Maura's mind off of things. By about halfway through Maura could no longer sit still through her contractions. She got up and wandered around the kitchen, stopping to sway at the kitchen counter. Susan and her assistant came in every so often to listen to the baby and check on them.

Maura's contractions came closer together now and they seemed to be harder to handle. She began breathing more heavily through each one, her eyebrows knitting together. Jane wandered around feeling unsure what to do with herself so she made sure Maura had a glass of water near her and stayed nearby in case she wanted her.

The next time that Susan came in to check on them she suggested that Maura could get in the tub if she wanted. Jane hadn't seen Maura move so fast in months, the blonde waddled quickly into the spare room. Jane smiled at the sight and followed after her. Maura had already pulled off her yoga pants and was pulling her t-shirt over her head when Jane entered the room.

"Excited Maur?" Jane asked, bemusedly.

"You have no idea." Maura replied with a grin. "I've been waiting for the right time to get in the tub. I know that if its too early it can slow everything down." She kept her black cotton sports bra on and Jane helped her step into the tub. She sighed as her body eased into the warm water.

"You can get in with her as well, Jane." Susan suggested and Jane went to their room to change into a swim suit. Coming back she climbed into the tub beside Maura. Maura opened her eyes when she felt the water shift and smiled at Jane. She turned around and settled back against Jane's body. The midwife and her assistant slipped out of the room and Jane kissed down Maura's neck to her shoulder.

"You look so beautiful right now." Jane murmured into Maura's ear.

"I don't know how you can think that." Maura replied. "I feel like a beached whale." But she smiled and Jane knew that she actually quite liked being pregnant. Jane caught her with her hands on her belly all the time.

They had gotten pregnant their second month of trying. Maura's pregnancy had been almost perfect, she'd had barely any morning sickness and she'd felt great the whole time. She'd even been at work until the week before, when she decided she wanted to spend time at home before the baby.

The women floated together peacefully for a little while. Susan came in to check on them.

"Has my labor stopped?" Maura asked, concerned. "I feel like it has slowed down a lot."

"Maybe," Susan replied. "But it might just be a little break before the final stage starts. Enjoy it and rest a bit, you'll need all your strength later."

Maura leaned back against Jane, resting in between the contractions. Jane kept her arms around Maura's belly and stroked the skin there softly. With the next few contractions, though Maura couldn't lay back anymore. She leaned forwards, squatting on her heels with her hands on the edge of the tub. Jane moved beside her, watching her breathe through each wave.

"Those were stronger?" Jane asked, her face wrinkling in concern.

"Yeah." Maura panted, still slightly out of breath from her last one. "Yeah, definitely stronger." Jane got out of the tub to grab both of them a drink and she was on her way back to the bedroom when she heard Maura groaning a deep, throaty groan. She practically ran into Susan who was standing just inside the door, in her hurry to get back into the room.

"What is it?" Jane asked.

"It's alright. This is normal. It's just the next stage of labor. We actually like to hear it, it means she's progressing." Susan assured Jane.

Jane sat their drinks down and climbed back in the tub behind Maura. After she finished that contraction, Maura turned around to face Jane. Jane could see some worry etched in Maura's fine features.

"Jane, I don't… I need to know that I can do this." Maura whispered.

"You can, baby. I know you can do this. You are so strong." Jane replied, pulling both of Maura's hands into hers. Maura continued to groan through the contractions, her hands gripped onto Jane's or the edge of the tub, her eyes squeezed shut and her forehead wrinkled.

Time seemed to lose all meaning to Jane, she was so focused on Maura. She was only slightly aware that it was passing, as Susan listened to the baby's heartbeat every so often. Jane allowed Maura to relax onto her in between contractions and Jane whispered reassurances into her ear.

Jane began to feel herself slip into a half asleep state in the pauses but she sat up straight and her eyes flew open though when she heard Maura's strangled half cry during a contraction. She moved quickly to be able to see Maura's face screwed up in pain. Susan came close to Maura, kneeling directly in front of her.

"Maura?" Susan asked as the contraction ended. "Are you feeling pressure?"

Maura nodded, not loosening her grip on the edge of the tub.

"Okay, thats good, my dear." Susan continued. "You can start pushing if you're feeling the urge. Do what your body tells you to."

Jane was startled, they were already at the pushing part? How had that happened? She wrenched Maura's grip from the tub and took her hands.

"Maur. You can do this. You are going to have our baby. I know you can do this." Maura nodded, looking into Jane's eyes but gritted her teeth as another contraction started. Jane could tell she was pushing as she hunched over, curling into herself. Jane supported Maura's forearms, letting Maura squeeze her arms.

"Well done, Maura." Susan reassured her as she relaxed after the contraction. "With good pushing like that we may have a baby sooner rather than later."

Jane noticed that Susan and her assistant were bustling around the room, setting things up and laying things out but she was pulled back into Maura's world as she had another contraction. With each contraction, Maura bore down, pushing and growing louder each time, she squeezed Jane's arms so hard Jane wondered if there would be bruises.

"Ugh, come on baby!" She exclaimed after another push. Jane had to smile slightly that Maura thought she could boss her baby around before it had even been born.

"Reach down and see if you can feel anything, darling." Susan suggested to Maura after another couple of pushes. Maura reached her fingers down between her legs and her eyes flew open to look at Jane. "Oh my God. I can feel it. I can feel the top of the head." Maura said, apparently flabbergasted that there was a baby coming out of her.

Jane smiled widely. "Thats wonderful Maura. We're gonna meet this baby soon."

A few more pushes and Maura was cursing up a storm. "Shit, shit fuck. Burning. Ugh, fuck!" She managed to get out.

"Jane are going to help her catch this baby?" Susan asked calmly, looking at Jane from where she was bent over the tub, arm deep in the water.

"What?" Jane asked.

"You had better reach your hands down here, we're going to have a baby very soon." Susan replied. "Maura put your hands down here where mine are." She instructed and Maura reached down. Jane reached her hands down underneath Maura's as Maura pushed again, letting out a guttural scream. Jane felt something slip out into the water.

"That's the head." Susan informed them. "One more gentle push now Maura." Jane felt the baby slip into their waiting hands.

"Very good. Now bring baby slowly up to the surface." Susan instructed them and Jane brought her hands up slowly, Maura's on top of hers. Maura was gasping in shock as she pulled the baby up to float against her stomach. Jane, squatting next to her could finally get a good look at the baby as it floated with it's head above the surface in Maura's arms.

"Oh my God." Jane murmured. "Maura, thats our baby."

Maura was moaning nonsensical words through her tears. "Jane, our baby." She finally managed and the baby opened it's eyes to look up at them. It let out a few deep cries before quieting down and simply staring up at the environment it found itself in.

"Wonderful job mama." Susan commented.

Jane stared down at the tiny baby between them before looking up at Maura. "Maura you did it!" She exclaimed as she kissed her deeply before returning to look at the baby.

"Our baby." Maura whispered. "Wait, what is it?" She asked, suddenly remembering that they didn't know if it was a girl or boy.

"You can move the cord aside and find out." Susan said.

"Will you do it, Jane? I don't want to drop it."

Jane nodded and moved the cord from in between the baby's legs gently. She peered down, through the surface of the water. She brought her gaze up to Maura's.

"It's a girl!" She exclaimed. "We have a little girl."

Tears ran down Maura's cheeks as she smiled at Jane. "A girl? I can't believe it."

They stayed that way for a few minutes before Susan suggested they get out so they could dry them all off and get them in bed. Maura walked slowly to their bedroom, holding the baby. They were both dried off before they climbed into bed and Jane climbed in next to them.

"Okay we're going to clamp off the cord so you can cut it Jane."

Jane sat up, reaching down to where Susan had clamped the cord. She handed Jane the scissors. "Right between the two clamps."

Jane took a deep breath before cutting through the cord, freeing their baby from Maura. She looked up to meet Maura's teary eyes and kissed her happily.

"Now you're free little one." She whispered, leaning down to kiss the tiny baby in Maura's arms. Susan helped Maura lean back on some pillows and Maura pulled the baby up to lay where her big belly used to be.

Jane lay down next to Maura and wrapped her arms around her wife and their baby. "Congratulations mama and welcome to the world Ava Cordelia."

- Weirdly enough I've had this chapter written for a while, the idea came to me a couple months ago and I just knew how their daughter's birth would go. I hope you enjoyed this story! Thank you so much for sticking around and leaving me reviews. This story is now complete! (Although I might have left myself a bit of room for sequels if I feel like it). Thanks for reading :)