A/n apologies for how long this took to get out. Real life problems like hurricanes and technical difficulties have made this...difficult.
She found herself standing outside of the municipal building early Monday morning in a state of shock. Had all that just happened? More importantly, had all of that just happened so easily? She'd spent the whole morning with the same sort of dazed expression on her face, not quite sure what was going on around her, answering the questions that Judge Timm had posed to her without even thinking about the answers. She had a vague notion of him trying to trip her up by pointing out that the last time they had met she'd been sort of seeing one of the family court public defenders, but she wasn't quite sure if that was entirely real or not. Nor was she sure if all the utterings of in all my days and most unusual and extraordinary circumstances had been real or not either. In fact, had it not been for the fact that she'd had to sign her name to the few papers that were currently tucked neatly into Maura's purse, she wasn't sure if any of this morning had been real. She found herself standing dumbly on the single step in front of the unassuming building, and she wasn't how many time's Maura had called her name before she snapped to attention, wrapping her arms around the woman and burying her nose in blonde hair.
This was it. This was real. They weren't glorified babysitters anymore. They were parents. Proper parents. With the paperwork to prove it. She had one thing that she'd never thought she'd have. A real, proper family. Someone that she loved, who loved her back. The kid. The dog. All that was missing was a white picket fence around the yard. She kissed the crown of the head she was nuzzled against, feeling the reality of this sink in. She was a mother. She was now not doing this because she felt obligated to her family, she was doing this because she was officially supposed to. This was her son, and she was going to do everything she could to – fuck, mother him. She wasn't even sure what all that entailed, but she knew she wanted to be there. Wanted to kiss away skinned knees, wanted to be there to coach little league. Wanted to protect him from all the evil in the world. Wanted to be able to show him all the wonder and the good. Wanted to love him, and see him happy. And she wanted nothing more than to do all that with the woman in her arms. "It's real. He's ours." The words were quiet, muttered into Maura's hair, and she felt Maura relax against her, leaning back so that she was the one to be holding both of them up. She tightened her grip around a trim waist, feeling a sudden jolt of something that she hadn't been able to place before, but now could.
Love. That sudden desire to hold them close, protect them, be strong for them, be everything for them. She loved Kit. She loved Maura. And she loved that Maura seemed to know the effect that such a simple gesture as leaning back, allowing her to support both of them, would have on her. This was hers. This was the woman that she had somehow fallen in love with, and this was her child, and she was beginning to understand why they told people not to piss of mother bears around their cubs, because she was fairly sure she'd tear apart anyone who even thought a malicious thought about Maura or Kit limb from limb barehanded. She'd never put much stock in traditional gender roles, but she couldn't help but feel like a stereotype of a TV dad. Wanting to protect and provide for her family. And do all that while being completely and utterly whipped. "Until someone challenges things, yes."
Maura's words snapped her out of her reverie. Judge Timm hadn't been lying about extraordinary circumstances. She knew that if Tommy or Lydia attempted to regain custody the little slips of paper wouldn"t hold up. Kit was theirs, but all of that could come toppling down. "They're not going to." She wasn't quite sure which of them the words were intended to convince more. They walked in silence towards the car, each of them with one hand on the stroller, and one arm wrapped around each other.
"So who's this Andrew?" She couldn't help the faint grin at Maura's teasingly jealous tone, and the reality of the judge attempting to trip her up slammed home. That had been real. Everything that had just happened was reality. She had just signed her name to papers saying she had every intention to be a mother to this child. This little boy in the stroller in front of her was her son. She shrugged at the question as they walked, grateful for a distraction to keep her from thinking about the odds of her brother or Lydia challenging their rights to Kit.
"One of the public defenders. It was fun while it lasted, but Judge Timm was right, we were bound to not work out."
"What do you mean?"
"He's a public defender. He had to defend monsters. Absolute monsters. He got stuck representing parents in family court and the cases he'd tell me about – the two of us, we both saw so much ugly in the world that we couldn't weigh each other down with that. I couldn't deal with hearing him complain about having to defend people that beat their kids to brain damage any more than he could deal with me complaining about a triple homicide." She frowned. It'd never been a particularly serious relationship, but it had been one of her longer-lasting ones. She was surprised Timm had even remembered her and the time shed spent at the building they were just leaving. "That's one of the reasons I love you. I can talk to you about a case in gory detail and you won't bat an eye, and you get it. But at the same time, you're not coming around and one-upping me with something more horrific."
"I don't know, there's an accidental electrocution ready for release that got Detective Frost to barely make it to the sink in time." She laughed, wrapping an arm around Maura, pulling the other woman close.
"I'm sure it taught him something valuable."
"Yes, I'm sure. Perhaps that home repair can be risky with a blood alcohol content of point three four."
"And that sense of humor is another." There was a slightly confused look, and she tightened the arm around Maura's waist."Reason I love you."
"How many are there?"
"Four hundred and thirty six." It was a number pulled entirely out of her ass, but she knew if pressed she could certainly find that many. There was an eyebrow quirked in her direction and she leaned in to steal a kiss. "Make that four hundred and thirty seven."
"Who knew you were such a romantic?"
"You tell anyone and I'll kill you myself." She grinned despite herself, leaning in for another kiss.
"You wouldn't even make me sleep on the couch." She wasn't sure what it was that had changed over the weekend, but she was sure she never wanted it to change back.
"Why do you always have to be right?" There may have been a sappy grin on her face as they traded lazy kisses as they walked, but she didn't care. She'd already checked- there weren't any CCTV's to catch her at it..
Their moment wasn't long to last though. "Oh dear christ, I'm ruined for life." She glowered at the familiar voice.
"Is everything all right?" She rolled her eyes at Maura's question.
"No! You don't know how scarring it is to see my sister, to see Jane being all – sweet. This is my sister we're talking about. She doesn't do sweet."
"Thanks, Frankie."
"I mean it, Janie. You owe me for the therapy for this. I knew this kid changed you and all but I didn't think it'd make you all sappy and shit."
"Fuck you, Frankie." She muttered, the words pressed against Maura's lips as she leaned in for another lingering kiss, one armed wrapped around her love, the other pointing towards her brother, middle finger proudly extended.
"Actually, I'm here because of your case. Your phone's off, Ma said you'd be here. Barry thinks he might've found something on Meacham's laptop. She grinned, pausing for her eyes to meet Maura's.
"That's great, Frankie. I'll catch a ride in with you." her eyes stayed locked with hazel ones as she leaned in for another kiss. "I'll see you later. Love you." The words were a quiet murmur before she pulled away, pausing to drop a kiss on the top of Kit's head before leaning in for one last quick peck to Maura's cheek before walking to where Frankie was, ignoring his mimed gagging.
"Who are you and what have you done with my sister?"
"What?!" She questioned, wondering what had her brother so worked up.
"Did you see what I just saw? Janie, it was like, gag me with a spoon, Nicholas Sparks movie, cute. It's sickening, is what it is." she felt her stomach clench slightly at he brother's choice of words.
"I'm not allowed to have a quiet moment with my family?"
"Gah, a quiet moment is like – I can't even do this."
"What's got your panties in a bunch, Frankie?"
"You're my sister!"
"Yeah, and?" She could feel an icy tendril of anxiety snaking its way up her spine at the way Frankie was currently dismissing her new change in relationship status.
"You're not supposed to be cute. You're supposed to be my badass big sister, not this little schmoopy thing that could make the Grinch's heart melt."
"I'm not cute."
"Did you see that picture Ma got of you three? I''m telling you, it's sickening. It's not normal."
"What's not?" she took a deep breath, trying to tell herself she was being irrational. Her very traditional very catholic mother took the fact that she'd woken up and snelled the roses and realized that she'd been very much in love with her best friend for a very long time and had simply been too thick to notice it in stride. Her brother would as well, right?
"Looking so damn in love. If you two are going to be all fairytale romance, at least have the decency to look like all the other parents you see around you. Y'know, all long suffering and shit. Walking around and giggling and being all smoochy smoochy, c'mon sis, you're almost forty, leave that shit to like, twelve year olds at the mall." She gave a slight sigh of relief as she realized that all of Frankie's issues seemed to stem from the fact that she'd allowed herself to look like a lovesick idiot. She met his gaze when he looked at her at a red light and he laughed. "Wait, did you really think I've got an issue with the fact that its you and Maura? I mean, I have no clue what she sees in you, but she's the best thing to happen to you, sis. Just - I don't wanna see you kissing anyone. Kid or not,let me pretend you're still badass."
"I am still badass." She could feel her brother's really? Look trained on her. "I am! you try having a five month old, an absolute bastard of a case, and you try not making the most of any free moments." She was fairly sure her arms were crossed and she was pouting but she didn't care. "So what did Frost say he found?" She questioned, deciding if she wasn't going to win the I am too a badass fight then she could, at least change the subject.