Chapter 24

Jane sat on the couch with Riley in her arms, soothingly rubbing her daughter's back as the girl cried uncontrollably. She had finished her last day of school an hour ago and just confessed that she failed math this year, which she took incredibly hard.

Failure was something Riley would never get used to. In the past, whenever she failed at anything, it was rewarded by physical and mental abuse and that caused a great, unresolvable fear in the girl. It didn't matter how many times Jane and Maura told her she could never disappoint her mothers and that no failure, no matter how big or small, could ever affect their love for their daughter. Riley would always be immensely afraid to fail.

"It doesn't matter, honey," Jane whispered for the hundredth time. "It's okay. You've worked so hard, you'll take the same class again next year and then you'll pass."

Riley sniffled and sobbed loudly, clutching to Jane's T-shirt in a desperate way. "I'm- I'm- sorry."

"Stop saying you're sorry, Riley." Jane cupped her daughter's face and pulled her away to look at the girl, softly wiping her tears with her thumbs. "We love you so much, you don't have to be afraid anymore. You don't have to be afraid to fail. It's okay to fail, you need to fail every now and then."

Riley shook her head as tears kept streaming down her face. Her breath hitched in her throat and she leaned forward to bury her face in Jane's chest again. Jane wrapped her strong arms around her daughter and pulled her as close as humanly possible as she leaned against the back of the couch. "I know this is difficult for you," Jane whispered after placing a kiss on top of Riley's head. "But you have to know that it's not the same anymore. We're here for you and we always will be. We will never be mad at you for failing after trying."

Riley cried for what felt like hours and Jane wished Maura would come home. Maura had always been better at comforting Riley. She always knew exactly what to say and Riley confided in her completely. She confided in Jane as well, but Jane wasn't as good with words as her wife and she felt sorry for it. Unfortunately, Maura had been called into work to take care of an emergency at the crime lab before she went on vacation and Dr. Pike took over. Lizzie was currently playing in the backyard and felt that Riley needed some time alone with Jane to talk, so she played quietly and left them alone.

"My dad used to get so mad when I messed up," Riley whispered barely audible. "He made me feel so useless and worthless."

Jane felt tears burning in her eyes and rubbed Riley's back, placing sweet kisses on her daughter's head. "Baby," she whispered.

"I think that was even worse than when he hit me and burned me. His words were way worse. He used to tell me I was stupid, and dumb and ugly and that I would be a failure for the rest of my life. I don't think he meant it, I don't even think he knew what he was saying 'cause he was always drunk and high on whatever drugs he was taking at the time. But… But it still…" A loud sob interrupted Riley's words and she tucked her feet up on the couch, her tiny body curling up in Jane's arms.

"It still hurt," Jane finished softly for her daughter.

Riley nodded and wiped her cheeks with one hand while the other kept clutching Jane's shirt. "Every word he said was like someone kicked me in my stomach… And… And I believed him." Riley's voice was weak and vulnerable. She didn't talk about her past as often as she used to, but whenever she did it broke her mothers' heart every single time.

"Do you still believe him?" Jane asked softly, slightly stunned by the seriousness of the mental abuse and the effect it had on Riley.

"Sometimes," Riley mumbled through her tears. "Every time you or Mom tells me you love me, I can't believe it somehow."

Jane smiled and gently rubbed her daughter's back as she kissed the top of Riley's head that rested on her chest. The words 'I love you' were used very often in the Rizzoli-Isles household and Jane was surprised to hear that it still meant so much to Riley. "It's true, honey."

"I know. I just can't believe it."

"Why not?"

Riley shrugged and fumbled with the hem of Jane's T-shirt. She took a deep breath and spoke in a soft whisper, a sentence that broke Jane's heart into a million pieces. "Because I don't think I'm worth loving."

Jane let out a soft whimper and felt her tears spilling onto her cheeks. "You are," she whispered through her tears. "If only you knew. If only you knew how much we love you. You are worth every single piece of our love, honey."

"He told me no one would ever love a stupid kid like me," Riley whispered. "He said love is for dumb, sentimental people and that love doesn't pay for anything." She sighed deeply and moved to hug her knees to her chest, leaning her entire body into Jane's side. "He told me I was a mistakes and that no one should love mistakes."

Jane cupped her daughter's face and pulled her off her chest to look deeply into her shimmering blue eyes. She smiled sadly and brushed the girl's hair back. "I think you already know what I'm gonna say and I know it won't make your memories go away, and it maybe won't change how you're feeling, but I'll keep telling you how much I love you until you fully believe it."

Riley sniffled and nodded, love and gratefulness showing in her expecting eyes. Jane smiled and pressed her lips against Riley's forehead before pulling back and looking into those beautiful eyes again. "Your father, he didn't know what he was talking about. He didn't know you. He had no idea how amazing you are. He's the one who's stupid for not loving you; he's the one who's useless for only caring about drugs and not seeing how lucky he was to have you as his daughter. And now he's gone and he can never take back what he said to you."

"He's gone," Riley breathed out, still looking into Jane's eyes.

"Yeah, he's gone. He's dead, Riley. He's dead and so are his words." Jane kept wiping Riley's tears with her thumbs as she spoke. "Honey, we love you so much. I wish I could do it all over. I wish I could have taken you away from him, I wish I was the one to carry you and bring you into this world so that I was able to make you feel loved from the minute you were born, like you deserve."

Riley smiled and seemed to calm down, much to Jane's relief. "You're so amazing, Riley. You're worthy, you're sweet and you're so loved. I don't think you know how much your mom and I love you."

"I do," Riley whispered with a sad smile.

"We love you like you're our own, honey. You're my daughter. Not his. You're ours and no one is ever taking you away from us."

"I know." Riley smiled and wiped her cheeks before throwing her arms around Jane's neck and squeezing her close. "I know it's not true what he said. I just don't feel it sometimes."

Jane gratefully hugged her daughter back. "We'll help you feel it, I promise."

Riley nodded and rested her head in the crook of Jane's neck. "I love you, Mama."

"I love you too, sweet girl," Jane whispered with tears in her eyes. "I love you too."

After a few moments of silence, Lizzie came walking into the living room, looking a little shy and insecure. "Riley? Why you crying?"

Riley untangled herself from her mother and smiled down at her sister as she wiped the last of her tears. Jane brushed Riley's hair back and kissed the girl's temple before caressing Lizzie's messy curls. "Riley's sad because her daddy used to be mean to her."

"Why?" Lizzie asked with wide eyes while she climbed up on Jane's lap to look at her sister. Jane gratefully welcomed Lizzie in her lap and wrapped her arms around the girl's stomach, feeling Lizzie leaning sideways into the detective's front.

"I don't know why he was mean," Riley answered softly. "He was a bad man."

"Is your daddy died like mine too?"

Riley lowered her gaze and looked at her fumbling hands. "Yeah."

"Do you miss him too?"

"No, I don't." Riley smiled a sad smile and ruffled Lizzie's curls for a moment. "He was always mean to me. And I'm with Mommy and Mama now and they're much better."

Lizzie nodded, not fully understanding what Riley meant, but agreeing on the last part. "I like Mommy and Mama too," she said with a proud grin. "My old mommy didn't hug me like Mama and Mommy. Mommy's waaaaayy better at hugs!"

Jane chuckled and felt her heart bursting with love at the words of her youngest daughter. She pulled the girl close and kissed her messy blonde curls. "What about my hugs, Liz?" Jane asked playfully.

Lizzie straightened her back and looked at Jane with a stern look on her face. "Mommy's softer. And you tickle."

"Oh, as if you don't like that." Jane tickled Lizzie's stomach, eliciting squealing giggles from the girl.

"Stop, Mama!"

"Only if you tell me my hugs are better than Mommy's!"

Lizzie laughed loudly and fell on her back, squirming under Jane's hand as she giggled, her face turning red, her small hands trying to grip Jane's big ones. "Mama's hugs are best!" She squealed and panted when Jane stopped tickling.

"That's right." Jane pulled Lizzie back up and moved the girl back into her lap again.

"If Mommy's hugs are better, than how come you're always in Ma's lap?" Riley asked with a smile, her eyes finally drying.

Lizzie shrugged and leaned into Jane's arms. "Because."

"Oh yeah, great reason." Riley chuckled. "Mom's soft and Ma's strong. And together they're all we need, right, Liz?"

Lizzie nodded frantically even though she didn't understand the seriousness of Riley's words. Jane smiled lovingly and kissed the top of Lizzie's head before brushing Riley's hair back. "Thank you, sweetie," she whispered.

They stayed silent for a while before Lizzie stirred in Jane's arms. "Mama, what are we eating at dinner?"

"I don't know yet, kiddo," Jane smiled and looked into Lizzie's light brown eyes. "You have any ideas?"

Lizzie thought about that question for a second before bouncing up and down in Jane's lap. "Pizza and fries!"

"There's no way Mom's gonna allow that, Liz." Riley smiled and stood up from the couch to clear away her backpack.

Lizzie pouted and relaxed back in Jane's arms. "How about we have fries on the side?" Jane offered. "We'll boil some broccoli, prepare some oven-baked fries and maybe some chicken?"

"I don't like broccoli." Lizzie wrinkled her nose and looked up at her mother.

"Well," Jane groaned and lifted Lizzie off her lap to walk towards the kitchen, "that's too bad."

An hour later, the little family was preparing dinner, Lizzie sitting on top of the kitchen counter while Riley was cutting up the broccoli and Jane was preparing four pieces of chicken. After a while, the front door opened and Maura walked inside, wearing a stunning cotton dress that fit her figure perfectly while the skirt twirled around her toned legs. Jane smiled at the sight of her gorgeous wife and greeted her brightly. "Hello, doctor."

"Hello, detective," Maura said in a rather seductive tone before putting down her medical bag and walking towards the kitchen to capture Jane's lips in a loving kiss. "Did you have a good day?"

"Sort of." Jane gave her wife a reassuring smile and kissed Maura's lips before turning back to her chicken.

Maura hummed and kissed Riley's temple. "Sort of?" She brushed Riley's hair back and immediately noticed her daughter's red eyes and the red spots on her face. "You've been crying," she stated before stepping towards Lizzie to kiss the girl's forehead, greeting her youngest daughter with a sweet smile.

Riley sighed and didn't move her attention from the vegetables she was cutting. "I failed math."

"Oh, I'm sorry, honey." Maura grabbed a glass from the cabinet and filled it with water. "You know it's no reason to be upset, don't you?" Maura sweetly tucked a strand of hair behind Riley's ear and looked over at Jane, who smiled at her to let her know that they'd talked about it already.

Riley nodded and shrugged. "Yeah, I just…" she looked at her mother and smiled shyly. "Turns out I don't take failure very well."

"Oh honey, you'll get better at it." Maura smiled and took a sip of water as she rubbed Riley's back while kicking off her heels.

"Better at failing?" Riley chuckled and dodged a playful slap from Maura.

"No, better at handling failure."

"Yeah, yeah." Riley continued her movements and Maura wrapped her arm around Jane's waist while she kissed the bottom of her jaw.

"I'm officially off for the next two weeks," the blonde whispered.

Jane hummed and dried her hands to wrap her arms around her wife. "So am I,' she replied in a husky voice. She leaned in to capture Maura's lips in a loving kiss and immediately felt the blonde deepening it by running her tongue along Jane's bottom lip. Jane moaned slightly into the kiss, eliciting giggles from their daughters.

"Ew, Mama's kissing Mommy!" Lizzie whispered loudly to Riley, who giggled in response.

Jane chuckled into Maura's mouth but didn't break the kiss, pretending not to hear the girls. Maura placed her hands on Jane's neck and smiled brightly, causing their teeth to clash together as they continued the kiss.

"Mommy and Mama kiss all the time," Riley whispered back.

"Why?"

"'Cause they're in love."

"What's that?"

Jane silently broke the kiss and felt Maura resting her forehead against her own, brushing her hair back as she looked into her eyes, waiting for Riley to answer.

"I'm not sure," Riley replied softly. "I've never been in love. But I think it means that Mama gets happy when Mom smiles and that they want to do anything to make each other smile."

Jane looked into Maura's familiar hazel eyes and saw her entire face lighting up with a bright smile, that beautiful smile that made the detective fall in love with this woman in the first place. Without knowing it, Riley had just perfectly described how it feels to be in love. That smile that was currently lighting up Maura's face… Jane would do anything to see that smile for the rest of her life.

"Mommy has a pretty smile," Lizzie said, trying to keep her voice in a whisper, but the girl had never been good at whispering.

Riley laughed softly and Jane heard the sound of pieces of broccoli being dropped into a pan while the detective kept her eyes locked with Maura. "All smiles are pretty 'cause it shows that someone's happy," Riley answered.

Jane leaned forward to taste her wife's stunning smile again, closing her eyes and sighing at the feeling of Maura's familiar soft lips. Maura accepted it and smiled into the kiss but broke it after a few moments to turn her attention back to her daughters. "How's dinner coming along, my loves?"

"Good! I dropped the broccoli in the pans!" Lizzie pushed her chest forward and showed a proud grin, like she was the head chef.

"That's my girl," Maura said with a proud smile. "Can you help me wash it and add some water so we can boil it?"

"Yes!" Lizzie tried to jump off the counter but Jane caught her just in time, knowing that the distance was too high for the short five-year old.

"Be careful, you little daredevil." Jane smiled and put Lizzie on top of her blue stool so she could reach the sink. Lizzie loved to help cook dinner, but usually she got bored with it pretty quickly, which is why Jane was surprised to see she was still eager to help after more than fifteen minutes.

"I bet that broccoli's gonna taste amazing," Jane said while she helped Lizzie wash the broccoli.

"Nahhh." Lizzie shook her head and wrinkled her nose again.

"Yeah, if you made it, it's gonna taste amazing!" Jane tickled Lizzie's side, eliciting a squeal from the girl before she kissed her cheek.

"I didn't made the broccoli!" Lizzie protested. "The tree made the broccoli."

"Oh honey, broccoli doesn't grow on trees," Maura said with a smile, grabbing a pan for the chicken.

"But I didn't made it." Lizzie folded her arms in front of her chest and pouted.

"But it's still gonna taste good." Jane handed Lizzie a few plates from the cabinet. "Go put these on the table, please."

"Outside?" Lizzie smiled brightly, looking expectantly up at her mother.

Jane looked at Maura for approval and saw her nodding her head. "Yes, baby. Outside's fine. Be careful though!"

Maura smiled and looked at Lizzie who slowly walked outside, careful with four plates in her arms. She wrapped her arms around Jane's waist and leaned into her side as she placed a soft kiss on her wife's cheek. "I can't wait to take our beautiful girls to the beach tomorrow," she whispered.

Jane hummed and rested her cheek against Maura's temple while she watched Riley following Lizzie with a few forks and knifes in her hands. "Me neither." Jane turned to face her wife and brushed Maura's perfect curls over her shoulder. "All three of my beautiful girls."

A/N Thank you all for reading this story and for your kind words. Please let me know what you think, your reviews mean a lot to me. Next chapter will be the family in Florida!