Title: Mama Bear

Author: A. Windsor

Pairing/Characters: Jane/Maura

Rating: PG-13

Disclaimer: All television shows, movies, books, and other copyrighted material referred to in this work, and the characters, settings, and events thereof, are the properties of their respective owners. My one year of law school could allow me to legalese this a little more, but it also tells me it's pretty useless. So please don't sue; it's not mine, I'm just playing!

Summary: Sometimes Jane makes the wrong call. Prequel to Take a Chance.

Author's Note: The reaction to the first overwhelmed me, so thank you all! This is showing signs of evolving into a 'verse, but I make no promises. Beta'd by the wonderful, snarky roughian.

"You didn't call Doc, did you?" Korsak asks Frost, eyes trained behind the junior detective, widened with fear.

"Yeah," Frost admits, tossing his pen onto the desk in front of him. "I thought she'd want to-"

"You woke up Mama Bear," Korsak intones ominously, smacking Frost in the arm and getting up. "Nuh-uh. I am not staying for this one. You poked the bear: you can get clawed along with your partner."

Maura Isles enters the homicide floor much like the mother bear Korsak painted her to be, heels clicking on the floor at a clipped pace, steely look in her eyes, eleven-month-old Olivia on her hip. Frost resists the urge to hide under his desk as Korsak approaches just enough to coo:

"Hello, Miss Olivia. Yes, hello. How are you?"

Little Livvy giggles and flails as her mother slows enough to acknowledge the older detective.

"Vince, can you please take her for a few minutes?"

"Take my Livvy? Of course," Korsak grins, holding his arms out for the baby girl. Maura hands her over with a slightly gentler look. Vince bounces the happy little one, who smiles broadly and reaches for his nose. "How about a nice walk?"

"That sounds perfect, thank you. You seem to be her favorite adult, and it is important for her to form bonds outside of the primary family unit."

"Then Uncle Vince is just the man for the job. C'mon, Livvy, let's go check out Robbery."

Vince makes a quick exit, and Olivia whines just a little at being separated from her mother. Uncle Vince is, however, excellent company, and so she quickly settles into his adoring attentions.

Frost swallows.

"Maura. Uh, Dr. Isles, everything's-"

Frost is saved, however, by his partner and five-year-old Nate re-entering the homicide offices, the sandy-haired boy's right arm in a sling, plaster barely visible at his hand.

"And see, bud," Jane is saying reassuringly, affectionately tousling her son's hair. "It'll be all better in- Oh crap. Oh, c'mon, Frost!"

"I hardly think Barry can be blamed for all of this, Jane."

"Mommy!" Nate cries out, hurrying to her and burying his face in her hip.

Maura hugs him close, then squats to his level on her precarious heels and pulls him in for a fuller embrace.

"I fell, 'cause Ma and I were runnin' down the hall, racing, and I beat her, but she wanted 'two out of three' and then my arm and-"

"Sh, I know," Maura soothes. "Uncle Barry told me all about it." She levels her eyes at Jane, who holds up her hands in self-defense.

"Maura, I-"

"You took our son to the hospital to have his broken arm set without telling me?"

Frost tries valiantly to sneak around the family drama, and Jane murmurs: "Traitor."

"What, exactly, was that supposed to accomplish, Jane?" Maura asks, standing and keeping Nate snuggled up to her. "Were you hoping I just never noticed the neon green cast?"

"Darn, I knew we shoulda gone with blue," Jane answers, complete with an "aw shucks" snap that gets a laugh from Nate.

"Blue goes better with my school shirts," Nate speaks up.

Jane smiles at her silly son, so brave and happy despite his pain.

"You know, he's right. Should we go back and have 'em change it?"

Nate giggles again.

"Jane." Maura is distinctly un-amused. She stoops back down to Nate. "Are you in any pain, sweetheart?"

"It hurts a little," Nate admits, pouting a little to fully milk his mother's attention.

"Yes, I would imagine it would. I don't know what kind of fracture-"

"Brought ya the x-rays," Jane jumps in, holding up the films.

"They took pictures of my insides, Mommy," Nate tells her. "Ma said you do that at work, too."

"I do. Now, Nate, can you take a short walk with Uncle Barry to find Uncle Vince and Olivia? So we can go look at your x-rays downstairs."

Frost straightens up at his name, seeing his out.

"And so you can yell at Ma."

"Yes, I will also be reprimanding your mother."

Nate nods understandingly and throws his free arm around his mommy's hips for another hug before heading over to join Frost.

"Love you, Mommy," he says easily.

Jane Rizzoli's children are very free and open with their affection, something that took some getting used to, but which Maura absolutely adores.

"I love you, too, Nate."

"Hey, Nate," Jane calls after him, beckoning him over. Leaning over, she plops his Sox cap back on his head and adjusts it accordingly. "You were really brave today, and when we get home, we'll give you your medicine and you can pick a movie, okay?"

"Okay. Sorry I got you in trouble, Ma."

"Oh, no. I got myself into this trouble."

"But you said we shouldn't worry her."

Jane looks up at Maura, sees the fear and hurt lingering behind the more obvious anger, and sighs.

"I think I made the wrong call."

Nate nods knowingly, as if remembering his own punishments.

"If you tell her what you did wrong and say you're sorry, she'll say it's okay," he declares.

"Yeah? Just like time out?"

Nate nods again, more insistently.

"Let's hope so." Jane kisses the top of his head, dirty hat and all, and sends him on his way with another exchange of "I love you"s.

"Mommy?" Nate calls back from the doorway.

"Yes?"

"Will you sign my cast when we get home?"

Maura smiles. "Of course."

"Good, 'cause Ma's not allowed to until you do."

"I should hope not," Maura smiles for him again, and, satisfied, Nate heads off with Frost.

They're alone now; any other officers putting in extra Sunday hours made themselves scarce as soon as Mama Bear arrived. Maura turns her full attention to Jane, anger and confusion warring on her face.

"I'm a doctor," she begins.

"I know," Jane sighs. "I'm sorry. I called it wrong."

"A doctor, Jane."

"Right, so when we go see other doctors you hover over them and nag them and make Nate all nervous and even more scared."

"Oh."

Jane pauses, replaying that in her head. Crap.

"So, my being there hinders our son's medical care?"

That's hurt and not anger, and that is so not good.

"No, no! I just... Look, he fell and he was crying, and I was panicking, and one of the EMTs was here and said it was probably broken and-"

Maura shakes her head. Jane and Nate tell stories exactly the same way.

"I didn't want to worry you."

"Because I can't handle the stressful situations of childrearing."

"Dammit, Maura, I didn't say that. Stop putting words into my mouth. You are an amazing mom; you know that. Nate was asking for you the whole time."

Well, that actually makes Jane sound more like a bad parent than it makes Maura seem like a wonderful one, but hopefully it helps.

Maura's arms cross over her chest, but the gesture is more defensive than anything else, and Jane feels like an ass. She crosses to her wife and takes her shoulders, running her hands soothingly over her upper arms until they start to relax and then slump out of their usual perfect posture.

"I'm so sorry. I was scared," Jane repeats.

"What about me, Jane? How did you think I would feel when I found out our son was hurt and scared and I couldn't be there for him?"

"I-"

"My nannies always took me to the doctor. They didn't want to trouble my parents."

Shit. Shit, shit, shit.

"Maura... You're right. He needed you, too. He tries to be super tough for me, but I know he was hurting and wanting his mommy. We both needed you there, I just..."

Jane trails off. She has no explanation for her actions, except that in her blind panic she somehow made the decision that telling Maura later was somehow better than adding "Tell Maura we were roughhousing again" to the list of things to do. But it had been awful, watching him try to be tough without someone there to help her be tough about the whole thing, to double check the x-rays and reassure her that, statistically speaking, kids break their arms all the time and very few are emotionally scarred by the experience.

God, she made the wrong call.

"I warned you I might suck at this," Jane sighs in defeat.

Maura's head snaps up, brow wrinkled in that adorably confused way of hers. "At what?"

"Marriage, kids, the whole thing. I'm not the best communicator, even with you."

"That's not true. You're usually very good at it."

Being married to the most honest woman in the world has its pros and cons.

"Well, I messed up this time. I know I should have told you, and I'm sorry," Jane follows their son's advice with a confession and an apology. "Am I still in timeout? Do I have to sit in our room while you three have movie night?"

Maura smiles a little at that, raising one hand to squeeze Jane's forearm.

"No. But if Livvy fails to sleep through the night tonight, you'll be getting up with her."

"Deal."

Jane pulls her in the last few inches, embracing her tightly and dropping a kiss to her head.

"And I may sleep in Nate's room tonight."

"In case he needs any doctoring, sure," Jane smiles knowingly, pulling away, but keeping one hand linked with Maura's. "Wanna go check out the x-rays? The doctor said it wasn't serious; just a hairline fracture, I think."

"Hmm, we'll see."

Jane can't help her adoring smile as she grabs the films off her desk and turns to lead Maura to the elevator.

They're met by Korsak and a screaming Livvy, Nate and Frost close behind.

"Sorry, Doc. Don't know what's got her so upset."

"It's fine, Korsak," Jane assures, taking the almost one-year-old. "She's been cranky; we think she's getting some teeth. Kinda glad we skipped this part the first time around."

That's a lie; she regrets every moment they missed of Nate's life in the two-and-a-half years before they met him.

"Hello, Livvy," Jane says softly, bouncing her little girl in her arms. "Are your teeth bothering you? Wanna go see your brother's bones?"

Maura, whose Mama Bear powers seem to include super strength, has lifted their growing five-year-old onto her hip, and exhausted Nate lets his head droop to her shoulder. He never can keep up the tough guy act around his mommy. While he loves hanging out and goofing off with his ma, Maura's absolute kindness, gentleness, and patience have won her his eternal devotion. Jane suspects she was the first to treat him that way in his short life.

Livvy quiets to whimpers in Jane's arms, and the whole Rizzoli-Isles family bids goodbye to their favorite detectives as the elevator doors ping open.

"Bye!" Nate calls, waving with his good arm. "Tomorrow you have to sign my cast."

"Sure thing, tough guy," Korsak says as the four step onto the elevator. "Look after all your girls, okay?"

Nate giggles. "Uncle Vince, they take care of me."

el fin