A/N: *posts new chapter* *avoids eye contact* *go hide away* *throws board to say I'm sorry and wish happy belated Christmas and New Year's*

Chapter Twenty-Eight –

"What are doing here again?" Jane asked as she heaved a box inside a big, two stories, brick house.

"It's Thanksgiving/Christmas/helping-your-family-move-into-a-new-house/Callie-can't-travel-because-she's-big-as-a-house day," Timothy answered her, heaving a big box just like her.

"Why does this feels like it's just an excuse to help us move the big boxes for them?" the brunette asked, moving with the box until she spotted her girlfriend in the only recognizable room in the house, the kitchen, "Hey, Maur? Where are those supposed to go?"

The blonde looked up from the sauce she was stirring side by side with Barbara and eyes the boxes both her girlfriend and brother were holding, "Upstairs, Jane. Arizona will tell you exactly where."

"See? Excuses! Forced labor!" the Detective hissed to the reddish-blond, who chuckled and pushed her over to the stairs with his broad shoulders.

"Well, at least they're giving us food. And beer," the Marine smiled when she saw the woman perk up slightly.

"I wish my family was here too," she sighed, preparing herself to go up the stairs.

"To have someone to share the forced labor with?" the man smirked, secretly preparing for the stairs too.

"And more food, though less beer," the Italian gave him a smirk of her own, eyeing the top of the stairs, "The last one up helps with the dishes?"

"You're on!"

It had been a couple of months since Jane and Maura had last been to Seattle and everything had happened. They had come back to Boston, spent Thanksgiving solving crimes and eating Angela's leftovers in the bullpen, but that's not how they wanted to spend their first Christmas as a couple.

So when Arizona had Skyped them one night to ask if they wanted to join them for an early Christmas celebration – and also, kinda, maybe help them move to the house they had recently gotten – they were more than happy to take two weeks off in order to do so.

Barbara, Timothy and Daniel were also there and although the brunette was really loving every second of it, she really did wish her brothers, mother, Korsak and Frost were here too. Then it would have been perfect.

While they left the boxes upstairs for Arizona to handle – her type A behavior pattern really was the best thing for these type of situations – Callie and Daniel worked on the Christmas tree that was being set up on the half dismounted living room.

"We really could use more hands on deck," Timothy sighed, slumping against the doorway, looking at the mess his little sister ordered him to organize.

"Where's that nasty guy? You know, the one who just so happens to be a parent to that baby," Jane asked, trying to make herself invisible to both her girlfriend and her sister, just wanting a moment to rest.

"You mean Mark? There has been some kind of thing at the hospital, it's all hands on deck there too. B just managed to get out of there because Alex is covering for her," the blond bumped her with his broad shoulders, "Mark's a nice guy, okay? Just... jerky, but nice once you get to know him."

"Like you?" the brunette smirked, this time dodging the shoulder coming at her.

"I'm never gonna live that down, am I?" the Marine couldn't hide his mirth.

"Nope," the Detective smiled broadly, her dimples showing.

Strangely enough, the bell rung, announcing to the house they had visitors.

"Maybe that's him?" Jane asked, brows furrowed after Callie had asked her to answer the door.

"Christmas miracle," Timothy shrugged his broad shoulders.

When she opened the door, however, she found herself face to face with her mother carrying loads of food.

"Janie!" Angela shrieked, spotting only her daughter's dark mane over everything she was carrying, "Go help your brothers!"

"Ma?" the brunette asked confused, going outside only to find both her brothers carrying even more stuff inside, though it wasn't food, it was the last load of furniture for the house.

"What the hell are you doing here?" she asked in place of a greeting.

"Merry early Christmas to you too, sis," Frankie said sarcastically, maneuvering a heavy couch with Tommy, "We're here because Maura asked us to. She didn't tell you?"

If the Detective thought it wasn't possible to love her girlfriend more than she already did, she'd be wrong.

"She did?" a big, goofy smile appeared on the Detective's face, making her younger brothers roll their eyes at her.

"She promised us food, she just forgot to mention all the heavy lifting," Tommy grunted, his breath fogging, "Hey Janie, you think you could..."

The green eyed brunette didn't manage to finish his sentence, though, because his sister made a beeline for the house, living both men to fend for themselves.

Maura yelped when she felt her girlfriend's strong arms involving her waist and lifting her from her position by the counter, to where she had been banished while Angela and Barbara got acquainted by the stove.

"Jane!" she squeaked, dropping the potato peeler, "What are you doing?"

"Thanking my girlfriend for being the best girlfriend ever," Jane replied, dropping quick kisses on the blonde's left shoulder and cheek.

"Jane..." the ME blushed, smiling.

"You brought my family over," the Detective said, maneuvering the woman so they were face to face.

The blush on the other woman's face increased, "Yes," she smiled sheepishly, "I know you wouldn't feel like it was Christmas without your mother and brothers. Barbara was thrilled when I asked if they could join us," hazel green eyes finally made contact with espresso brown, "Plus, you were moping. I had to do something about it."

"Hey, I was not moping!" the brunette tried and glare at her girlfriend, but she was so full of love that she simply couldn't do it, "Thank you," she leaned in for a real kiss, "You're the best. I love you."

"Merry Christmas, Jane."

#######################################

Timothy was sitting on his sister's new couch, drinking an ice cold beer and shouting at the Patriots game on the new flat screen smart TV. He had gotten to know Jane's younger brothers and immediately bonded over the game that was starting.

There was the smell of his mother's amazing cooking and some other stuff he suspected came from the Italian hurricane that was the Rizzoli matriarch. He couldn't spot his younger sister or future sister-in-law, so he suspected they were upstairs having a sweet moment, as was the norm lately.

Everything was good, it really was. But the Marine couldn't shake the sinking feeling in his gut and it was really throwing him off of his holiday mojo.

The Pats were killing the Texans, though, so he was able to keep his worrying at bay.

The house was really noisy, but the man's trained ears were able to pick up the ring of his cellphone from the coffee table. Picking it up, he immediately went tense when he noticed who was calling.

"Robbins," he answered seriously, making his way to a room filled with boxes.

"Tim?" came the sheepish reply from the other end of the line.

"Yeah..." the man sighed, "What do you want, Piper?"

"I just... wanted to say hi?" the redhead sounded really uncertain, making his resolve to stay mad at her crumble.

"Hi," Timothy said softly, his shoulders relaxing slightly, "I tried calling you."

"I know, I know..." he could hear her agitation through the call and it was making him anxious, "I was angry at you."

"I know, but I wanted to explain, I wanted to..."

"Tim," she interrupted him softly, "There's no need to."

"Really?" the blond asked surprised, "I thought I'd have to do some serious groveling."

"You would have, but... things have changed, Tim," the serious tone was enough to make his shoulders tense again.

"What changed?" the Marine asked with trepidation, "Pipes... what's wrong?"

"Tim..." the tears in the redhead's voice just made it all worst, "You're in danger."

#######################################

Arizona went upstairs in order to find her missing fiancée, only to find her sitting in the rocking chair of the mostly done nursery.

Okay, the nursery was only painted and had a rocking chair and bin, but still. Callie couldn't help but be in awe of it.

"Hey," the blonde said when she found her, "What are you doing here?"

"I'm... admiring," the brunette sighed, a dreamy expression on her face as she rocked softly on the chair and rubbed her belly.

Smiling, the peds surgeon made her way to the woman she loved and sat beside the chair, on the floor, also admiring the room. There was only one window with a seat on it, viewing the park where the women had spent such sweet moments.

The room was a soft, light orange and all the furniture was a light wood texture because they had decided not to push gender stereotypes on the baby; the rocking chair was the same one Barbara had used to rock a baby Tim and a baby Arizona and the bin was a vintage one Callie and Mark had found on a garage sale when they were house hunting.

There was a lot of the decoration missing, but the simplicity of the room was so overwhelmingly beautiful the women just couldn't help themselves but stare.

"I love you, you know that?" Arizona asked, head resting on her lover's knee.

"I do," Callie chuckled, one hand blindingly searching for the mess of blonde hair on her lap while another one kept rubbing her huge belly, "But thank you for reminding me."

"Our daughter will be so happy," the peds surgeon sighed happily, loving the feel of her lover's fingers through her hair.

She was so blissful that she didn't notice her slip of the tongue.

"Daughter?" Callie asked, stilling her fingers, "We're having a daughter?"

Blue eyes opened and the woman shifted on the floor so she could look into wide, chocolate brown eyes.

"Yes..." Arizona smiled sheepishly, "Merry Christmas?"

"A baby girl?" Callie's eyes were filled with tears, "Arizona, who else knows this?"

Thinking her fiancée was upset, the blonde's rambling mode was on, "I know and Addie knows, well, because she's your doctor and she's trained to know these stuff and probably my sister knows too because she's super smart and she knows everything and she was discussing a lot of stuff with Addie from the surgery and..."

"Arizona, baby," the brunette took the rambling woman's hands in her own and smiled her megawatt smile, "I'm happy. This is the best Christmas gift you could have given me."

"Really?" the blonde replied with a super magic smile of her own.

"Really," the ortho surgeon agreed with a nod of her head, "Wanna share the good news?"

"Yeah!" the peds surgeon bolted right up, bouncing on her feet, "Let's go!"

Since Callie was moving slower than she was and she was excited with a high of sharing their news with their family, Arizona ended up downstairs first, colliding with her brother's solid back.

"Tim!" the blonde yelped, making the Marine turn, "Come on! Callie and I have news!"

"Arizona..."

Her brother's tone made her look at his face and notice the pale tone it was, the cold sweat trickling his forehead.

"Timmy, what is it?" she asked, brows furrowing.

"I have some news too."