Okay. This is a reupload of chapter 3. Some minor changes. If you've not read it before, then no worries


A smiling Jane picked up an equally smiling five year old that squirmed and giggled as Jane held her close, kissing her pink cheeks. The weather was beautiful. Snow covered the ground in a thick, fluffy layer; perfect for making snow angels. The sun shone bright and warm on everyone in the park that Saturday afternoon in January.

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Across the park, Maura sat in the window seat of a small coffee shop, working on homework alongside a classmate.

"Isn't that the librarian lady from school?"

Maura's head shot up and looked out the window. It took her a moment before she found a head a curls peeking out from beneath a knitted hat. A young child, with equally curly hair, but a few shades lighter, came running up to Jane and an older woman. Jane bent down and scooped the little girl up, kissing her cheeks and holding her close as the little girl squirmed playfully.

Maura's cheeks flushed as the implications flitted through her head.

Sister? No, too young. Niece? Hmmm…possibly. Daughter…oh no. What if Jane is married? I didn't see a ring…could be a, oh what do they call it…baby daddy?

"Maura?"

The blonde turned to her friend, "Yeah that…that looks like Jane."

"She's cool. Did you know that she can tell you exactly where a book is in the library if you give her the identification number?" Jamie, the Bio-chem partner said, looking back down at her book.

Maura smiled and looked down at her own book, "Yeah, that's pretty cool."

"I didn't realize she had a kid…" Jamie mused, not really paying attention to her partner anymore to see the ideas and thoughts running rampant through the blonde's head.

Maura took one last look at her new friend before hunkering down to focus.


Monday morning after Maura's first two classes, she opened her email to find her last class had been canceled. Relief flooded the blonde as she realized that she had three extra hours in her day to study and do research in the library.

Huh, she thought, putting her laptop in her satchel, the library…I wonder if Jane is working.


As she entered the library, Maura looked around the see the brunette at the circulation desk, looking over the shoulder of a student worker. She kept pointing to different things on the screen and down at a book. Someone bumped into the blonde and Maura realized that she was still standing in the doorway. The slight commotion caused Jane to look up from her task. The brunette smirked and waved slightly before holding up a long finger. Maura nodded and made her way to a stack of magazines by the computers as she waited.

A few moments later, Jane walked up to the med student with a wide smile, "Hey there, Springtime."

Maura blushed, "Hey."

"Social visit or educational visit?"

"A little bit of both." Maura shrugged, "I've got things I should do…" she trailed off

Jane smirked, "and?"

"Wanna get coffee?" hazel eyes shone slightly mischievously

The two walked down to the closest coffee cart and quickly made their way back to the library, giggling over something Jane said as they walked through the main floor of the library to Jane's office in the back of the main floor.

Maura walked into the office behind the tall brunette to see the desk was very clean and organized. A computer monitor sat in the corner along with a keyboard in front of it. Next to the monitor were three pictures frames.

"Did you just get a new office?" Maura noticed the lack of decorations on the whole in the office.

"I don't get in here much. I probably should though. I have plenty of things I should do, but put aside. I love being a part of the flow of things and amongst the books."

Maura looked at one picture to see Jane, looking slightly younger, holding a toddler in her arms. It looked exactly like the girl she'd seen in the park. Jane noticed the staring and smirked, "Hayley Mae."

"She's beautiful." Maura cooed softly

"Yeah, looks just like my brother Tommy when he was that small."

Maura nodded and sat in one of the chairs across from Jane's desk.

Jane's smirk grew, "You can ask. I'm not shy." She sipped at her coffee.

"I didn't want to assume." Maura smiled sheepishly as she traced a finger around the edge of her coffee lid.

"She's my daughter."

"I saw you two in the park the other day. She looked too young to be a sister."

"I was seventeen when I found out my high school boyfriend got me pregnant."

Maura's eyes searched Jane's face, "You have no regrets?"

Jane's heart fluttered with love and pride, "She's the best thing that's ever happened to me. I never knew how much love I was capable of until I felt her first kick."

Maura smiled at the love she saw on Jane's face.

"She's five now. She's in kindergarten. She hangs out with my ma when I'm at work or my middle brother when he's home."

"What does your brother do?"

"He's in college at the moment."

"By 'middle brother' I assume there's at least another?"

"Yeah, he's...well, that's a long story, that I'm not really in the mood to tell, sorry."

"Oh that's not a problem. I didn't mean to pry."

"It's alright. Uh, My ma is retired from working in a bakery so she's got a whole bunch o' time. Plus, she likes having a grandbaby to look after."

"Did you have to drop out?"

Jane shook her head, lifting the cup to take a hearty sip of her coffee. Her eyes slipped closed as she relished the taste of the strong espresso. Brown eyes opened again, "I graduated a year early because of all the advanced placement classes I took in high school. I got pregnant after my graduation."

"Did you have plans for college?"

Jane nodded, "Yeah, I was set to go to uh…Dartmouth." Jane hesitated to reveal that part of her past.

Maura's surprise was exactly the reaction Jane expected.

"Yeah. But that didn't work out and Ma graciously let me stay till I got on my feet. Linda retired and after some shuffling in the higher ups, I was given a full time job here. Ma really helped out watching Haley while I worked and saved money living at home."

"Do you still live with your mother?"

Jane chuckled, "No, thank god. I was able to move about just before Haley's second birthday. We lived in an apartment in downtown for a while, then last year I was able to find a small house to rent a few blocks from Ma's house. It's perfect, because I can easily drop Hales there on my way to work."

Maura sipped at her drink slowly while mulling over Jane's words.

"Enough about me, tell me about you, Maura Isles. Did you grow up here?"

The blonde smiled, "I was born here in Boston. My parent's adopted me a few days after I was born, so I don't know my biological parents. My mother is an artist, and my father is a professor at Oxford, so we traveled back and forth a lot as I grew. I finally convinced them to let me attend a boarding school in Switzerland. I stayed there till I graduated. Then I attended Oxford for my pre-med degree. Now I'm here."

"Why not stay in Europe for med school? I bet there's some stellar programs there."

Maura shrugged, "I don't know. I guess I just wanted to come home."

Jane smiled, "I'm glad you did."

Maura's heart warmed her entire body, "Me too."