Chapter 29

It was an early, lazy Sunday morning and Maura was laying on the couch, her back against the armrest, her legs stretched in front of her, a sleepy six-year old on her chest. Lizzie woke up from a bad dream earlier and Maura decided to take her downstairs to get her mind off the awful images she apparently experienced. They watched the first part of a movie before Lizzie fell asleep on top of Maura, her front against her mother's, her cheek resting on Maura's warm chest.

They had absolutely no plans for today and Maura loved it. Life had been rushed and busy lately and she craved a day with her family. Maura looked at the early morning sun that was shining through the windows. Leafs were falling down from the trees. Autumn had arrived and turned Boston cold, but filled with warm colors.

Maura shivered and pulled the blanket higher around her daughter and herself. She felt Lizzie's warm breaths on her chest. Her thumb had fallen out of her mouth and her hand rested on her mother's stomach. Maura smiled. It felt like she was holding a little baby and even though Lizzie was six, she loved to imagine having her as a baby. She loved her children wholeheartedly and more than anyone she'd ever loved in all her life, but sometimes she wished she would have given birth to them. She imagined holding a newborn Riley. She imagined seeing her grow up into this wonderful, beautiful girl she turned out to be. She imagined a toddler with messy blond curls, a baby with those light, sparkling brown eyes.

She chuckled when Lizzie started snoring softly. It didn't matter. None of that mattered. She had two gorgeous, amazingly sweet daughters. She never got to carry them but they were hers. No matter what.

Maura closed her eyes and a light smile curled her lips as she felt the sun on her face. She rested her head against the cushions on the back of the couch as her hand slowly moved up and down Lizzie's back.

"Shh, you'll wake them!"

Maura woke up hearing her wife's husky chuckles, along with Riley's sleepy voice. "Your fault!"

Maura smiled but kept her eyes closed.

"You wanna play some soccer later?" Riley asked, this time more quietly. "Coach taught us a cool trick last week."

"Hm, sure." Jane's voice was laced with a proud smile. "Where are you in the tournament?"

"Third. But there are enough games left to get to first. Although, we do have to make sure we don't lose more than one game."

"You're on a roll this season."

"Hm hm," Riley hummed with her mouth full of food, probably fruit loops. "Coach says he's got a good feeling. But he had that last season too and we ended third."

"That's not so bad."

"I think we can do better this season."

"With you in the team, hell yeah."

Riley giggled. "If Mom were awake she'd so bust your ass for that."

"Whoa hey, for that too!" Jane's whispers grew louder and Maura heard the smile in her voice.

Maura had to try her best not to smile and carefully lowered her head into Lizzie's messy curls. She pulled Lizzie close in her arms but she suddenly felt her daughter's breaths quickening and her muscles tensing. Lizzie gasped and squirmed in Maura's arms, whimpering as a nightmare haunted her dreams.

"Shh, wake up baby," Maura gently shook Lizzie's shoulders. "Wake up honey, it's just a dream!"

Lizzie's eyes snapped open and she lifted her head to look around the room. Maura cupped the girl's face and looked into fearful brown eyes. "Hi." She smiled and stroked Lizzie's cheek with her thumb. "Bad dream?"

Lizzie nodded, trying to calm down. Maura kept her soothing strokes on Lizzie's cheek. "It was just a dream, honey."

Lizzie nodded again, too sleepy to reply.

"Two bad dreams in one night, baby. I thought your sister was the one with the nightmares." Maura smiled sweetly and kissed Lizzie's forehead. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah." Lizzie nodded and rested her cheek back on Maura's chest. She sighed deeply and nuzzled into her mother's warmth.

"What did you dream about?" Maura whispered, hearing Jane and Riley chatting in the kitchen.

"You and Mama were gone and I was all alone."

Maura hummed and kissed the top of Lizzie's head. "That must've been scary."

"Yeah."

"You're not alone, honey."

Lizzie shook her head. "Nope."

"You'll never be alone, you know that right?"

"Except for when you and Mama are gone."

"Well, you still have Riley, and Grandma Angela, and Uncle Frankie, Uncle Tommy, TJ…" Maura smiled as she rubbed Lizzie's back. "You have a lot of family now. You think they are ever going to leave you alone?"

Lizzie chuckled softly. "No."

"That's right." Maura kissed the top of Lizzie's head. "And besides that, Mama and I are never going to leave you alone. We'd be a total mess without you!"

Lizzie giggled again, a sound that made Maura's heart jump. "Nooo."

"Yes!" Maura shifted to sit up a little more against the armrest, linking her fingers together behind Lizzie's lower back. "Then who will unload the dishwasher?"

Lizzie gasped. "I only does the bottom part! I can't reach the glasses!"

"Yes, and we will have to do that all by ourselves if you weren't around anymore."

Lizzie shook her head, searching for a clever reply. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and sat up on Maura's upper legs. "I'm gonna go away and then you have to do all of it."

Maura laughed and pulled her daughter back down to her chest. "I was just joking, baby." She wrapped her arms around the little girl and chuckled when Lizzie huffed in disbelief.

"Mama doesn't like doing the dishwasher."

"That's right!" Jane called from the kitchen. "That's why we adopted you!"

Maura laughed and shook her head. "Don't listen to Mama, Lizzie. We could never live without your laughter, your lovely cheerfulness, your beautiful drawings, your sweet hugs and beautiful character…"

Lizzie nodded as her giggles faded. "I forgot I'm ad-adodded."

"Adopted, baby." Maura lifted her upper body against the armrest of the couch. "I forget that too sometimes."

"I was born in my first Mommy's belly, right?"

Maura nodded. "Yes."

"Has you ever had a baby in your belly?"

"No, honey." Maura smiled a sad smile and brushed Lizzie's messy curls out of her face. "We adopted you and Riley, remember?"

Lizzie nodded and looked down at Maura's flat stomach, shifting on Maura's legs. "You never wanna have babies in your belly?"

Maura swallowed and shook her head. "No, sweetheart. We have you and Riley. You're our babies."

"But we wasn't in your belly."

"No, but that doesn't matter."

Lizzie nodded and her thoughts jumped to a different subject. "How does the baby get out of the belly?"

Maura's eyes widened and she looked at Jane in the kitchen who was listening to their conversation with a sweet smile, but her smile fell at Lizzie's question. "Well…" Maura hesitated. "The female body has very ingenious ways to send a baby into the world."

"What?"

Jane chuckled and decided to interfere. She hooked her arms under Lizzie's and lifted her off the blonde. "That's a question for later, baby. We'll explain to you when you're old enough."

"Does the baby open the belly? With a scissors?"

Jane laughed. "In horror movies, yeah."

"Jane, don't scare her!" Maura stood up from the couch and stretched her aching muscles, stiff from sleeping in an unfamiliar position.

Riley chuckled at the kitchen counter. "Nobody'd be having babies if that's what would happen."

"Oh, I'm not eager to have them the normal way either." Jane smirked and sat Lizzie down on one of the stools at the counter.

"Well, be glad you don't have to." Maura walked towards her oldest daughter and kissed her cheek to greet her good morning. "We already have our hands full with two beautiful children."

Lizzie seemed to be letting the question go as Jane poured her some cereal. Maura tilted her head. "Please, give her the whole wheat raisin bran next time? This is just filled with sugar and bad for her bowels."

Jane sighed. "It's Sunday. Aren't raisins for weekdays?"

"Health is for every day, Jane." Maura shook her head and reached up to press a kiss to her wife's lips. "Good morning," she whispered.

Jane smirked and captured Maura's lips in a longer kiss that lingered for a few lovely moments. "Morning."

"You look beautiful," Maura smiled and let her gaze wonder across Jane's loose sweater and skin-tight jeans that hugged her slim legs perfectly. Her hair was falling loosely around her shoulders, curls messy as ever. "Absolutely beautiful."

"Really? I didn't even try." Jane chuckled and pecked her wife's lips again.

"Hm, you don't need to. You're beautiful all on your own."

"Mommies?" Lizzie interrupted their moment, lost in thought again. "Is you never getting babies in your belly 'cause you're lesbinums?"

Maura smiled and closed her eyes as she rested her forehead against Jane's. Jane chuckled. "How do we get her to stop asking questions?"

"By answering them." Maura smiled and turned to face Lizzie. "No, honey. Being a lesbian just means you're attracted to women, it doesn't mean you don't want babies in your belly."

"Can lesbinums make babies in the belly?"

Maura flinched and sighed. "Yes. There are very smart doctors that found several ways to help make babies."

"Can doctors give you and Mama babies?"

"Yeah," Jane took Riley's empty cereal bowl and put it in the dishwasher. "But we don't want that 'cause we already have you and Riley."

"What if I wanna be a big sister like Riley?"

Maura tilted her head and looked at her wife. They had never talked about having a third child. Two was enough right now. Yes, Maura loved the idea of having a lot of children and even possibly a baby in the house, but she knew they had their hands full with just Riley and Lizzie.

"Are you thinking about getting another kid?" Riley asked, excitement in her voice.

"No," Jane laughed and shook her head. "I don't know where this is all coming from, Liz. We're busy with you two chipmunks already."

"I'm not a chipmunk!"

Jane chuckled. "No, you're not. You're way cuter."

"Would be cool to be with three kids." Riley shrugged.

"You think so?" Jane asked her, tilting her head.

"Sure. But…" she shook her head and changed her mind. "Liz and I would have to share all your hugs with a third kid. That's not gonna work, right Liz?"

Lizzie shook her head and lifted her chin into the air. "Nope. Mommies' hugs are aaalll mine."

"And mine."

"Nope. Mine."

"Mine too!"

"Nope. Only mine."

"Not fair!" Riley attacked Lizzie from behind, tickling her sides and stomach, eliciting loud squeals and giggles.

Lizzie laughed and squirmed free from her sister. She jumped on the floor and ran towards Maura, who was standing closest. She grabbed her mother's leg and hid behind her back. "Nooo!" she squealed.

Riley chased her sister and Lizzie ran around Maura to get away. Lizzie laughed loudly, throwing her head back when Riley almost ran into the kitchen counter, dizzy from running in circles around her mother.

Maura chuckled and hooked her hands under Lizzie's arms, lifting her off the floor in her arms. She stopped Riley from running around and wrapped her arm around her shoulders. "See? I'm perfectly capable of hugging both of you."

Lizzie was still giggling and squeezed her short arms around Maura's neck while she wiggled her feet, trying to kick Riley who was tickling her stomach. Maura groaned. "Oh girls, stop that please! Lizzie's getting too heavy for this."

"Yeah!" Lizzie said, sticking out her tongue. "I'm getting too heav-… what?" She turned her attention towards Maura, looking offended. "I'm not heavy!"

Maura laughed and pressed a quick kiss on Lizzie's cheek. "You are when you start fidgeting like that."

"I'm smallest in my class!"

"Yes, but you're still a big girl. You're six!"

Lizzie thought about that for a moment and dropped the argument. Riley sat back down at the counter, a content smile on her face as Lizzie snuggled her face into the crook of Maura's neck. "Am I really too heavy, Mommy?"

Maura smiled and rubbed Lizzie's back, sharing a loving look with her wife. "No, my love. I just can't hold you up when you start squirming and kicking around, that's all."

"Sorry."

Maura peppered the side of Lizzie's face with kisses, eliciting sweet giggles from the girl. "I love you, my big girl."

"Love you too, small Mommy." Lizzie giggled proudly at her own joke and hid her face into Maura's blond hair as she felt her mother tickling her side.

"I'm not small! I'm just a little below average. Mama's just tall so I seem short."

"Oh." Lizzie shook her head and didn't even try to understand her mother's words.

She started to squirm free but Maura kept the girl in her arms. "Not yet."

Jane chuckled and moved a cup of coffee towards her wife on the counter. "You've been cuddling that kid for hours, Maur." She smirked and pecked Maura's lips.

"Hmm, I know." Maura chuckled when Lizzie just tightened her grip around her neck. "She doesn't seem to mind, though."

Jane shook her head and turned to face Riley. "You ready for some soccer?"

Riley nodded and jumped off her chair. "You bet."

"Put on something warm, please!" Maura called after Riley as she hurried out of the kitchen.

"Can we go too, Mommy?" Lizzie asked her mother.

Maura hummed and pursed her lips. "How about we go get changed out of our pajamas and meet Mama and Riley there?" She rubbed Lizzie's pajama-clad belly.

Lizzie nodded. "'Kay!" She squirmed out of Maura's arms and hurried upstairs to get changed.

Maura laughed and stepped towards her wife to give her a quick kiss. "Make sure Riley drinks enough water. She forgets."

Jane nodded. "Will do."

"I'm just going to get a quick shower and Lizzie and I will meet you there." Maura smiled and kissed Jane's lips again.

"Great." Jane turned around and watched Riley walking back into the kitchen. "You ready?"

Riley nodded and threw the ball towards her mother, eliciting a glare from Maura. "Not in the house!"

Jane threw the ball back and put on a sweater. "Jane!" Maura said, "I said not in the house. Get out, you two!"

Riley laughed and kissed Maura's cheek before heading outside towards the field a few blocks away.

An hour later, Maura and Lizzie were walking onto the empty field. The small soccer field was only a ten minute walk from the house, it had two small goals and it was currently empty except for a competitive Jane and Riley. Lizzie was chatting happily, bouncing around her mother all the way there, her nightmares completely forgotten.

"Mamaaaa!" Lizzie called from a distance, letting go of Maura's hand to run onto the field. She almost knocked Jane over as she ran into her legs.

"Hey, peanut." Jane smiled and stopped the ball under her foot.

"Liz! Wanna play a game, us against Mom and Ma?" Riley ran towards Maura and accepted a quick hug while she looked at her sister.

"Yeah!" Lizzie grinned and bounced happily. "We're gonna beat them!"

Riley chuckled and used her skilled legs to take the ball away from Jane. "Mom, you up for it?"

Maura hummed and shrugged off her coat, dropping it next to her bag as she chased her daughter for the ball. "Whoa Mom, you're fast!" Riley's jaw dropped as Maura ran after Riley.

Jane laughed and took the ball away from Riley, passing it to Maura who had some trouble stopping it, but managed to dribble it across the field after a second. "Yeah," Jane panted as she followed Maura towards the goal, "all that yoga's good for something!"

They passed the ball back and forth for a long time, making sure to give Lizzie enough chances to get into the game with her short legs. Soccer wasn't Maura's strong point, but she was fast and had strong, yoga-toned legs and along with Jane's long legs and speed, they made a pretty good team. However, Riley would be able to beat both of them if she wanted to.

Riley almost tackled her mother and took the ball to pass it to Lizzie. "GO FOR THE GOAL, LIZ!"

Lizzie bounced on her short legs across the field, losing the ball twice. Jane had to hold herself back from getting it from her, allowing Lizzie to score a goal.

Lizzie's eyes went wide before her entire face lit up with a proud smile.

"YEAH!" Riley cheered loudly and ran towards her sister, scooping the girl up in her arms along the way as they ran a victory round across the field, Riley's legs straining to hold the weight of a six-year old.

"I scoooooooored!" Lizzie yelled as Riley let go of her. The girl ran towards her mothers and bounced with happiness.

Maura heard her wife's husky chuckle as the brunette walked up behind her. "Yeah, you did."

"Liz, Liz!" Riley said, running back to her sister. "You gotta do the wave!"

Jane's arm wrapped around Maura's shoulders as they watched their daughters performing a mini-wave in celebration of Lizzie's goal. Maura wrapped her arms around Jane's waist and felt her heart bursting with happiness, both women laughing when the girls ran back to the field, almost knocking each other over.

"They're so happy," Maura said softly, happy tears springing to her eyes.

Jane hummed and pressed her lips against her wife's temple. "They are."

They stayed silent for a few moments while Lizzie chased Riley for the ball. Suddenly Jane sighed and looked at her wife. "Maur," she said softly.

"Hm?"

"You really think three kids is too much?"

Maura turned her head and looked into deep, brown eyes. "I don't think I've said that…"

"No… But… That was my way of asking your opinion on having three kids."

Maura sighed and shook her head, smiling when she turned her attention back to the girls. "I'm not sure. Like this, I think we can definitely handle three kids. But if they keep falling into canals, get bullied at school, wake up from nightmares…" Maura sighed and chuckled when Lizzie tripped over the ball. "We have enough love for all the kids in the world, I know we do."

Jane hummed and tightened her arms around her wife's upper body. "I'm not saying we should get another kid anytime soon."

Maura shook her head. "I know." She smiled and reached up to press a kiss to Jane's lips. "Three kids is a lot."

"I know. I was the first of three."

"And you all turned out fine." Maura smiled and snuggled into Jane's side, getting cold in the autumn-air. "We would love another child with all our hearts. Just like we love our girls."

"MOMS!" Riley yelled from across the field. "You wanna snuggle over there or play some soccer?"

"She's not going to accept the snuggle-option, is she?" Maura asked, hiding herself in Jane's arms for a moment.

Jane chuckled. "Nope."

Maura sighed and let go of her wife to head back to their daughters, stopping Lizzie for a moment to kiss her head, hurrying towards Riley to press a kiss to her cheek before going back to their competitive soccer games. The girls won all of them.