It was Saturday morning so there were no interviews planned for the little girl that day and there would not be another until Monday which meant that Jane and Maura could spend the entire day with Alessandra without being interrupted with stressful questions aimed at the little girl. It was a day where they could relax together and spend some quality time together without visits to the station.
The sun began to shine in through the small gap in the thick curtains that covered the perfectly cleaned windows. The light shone onto the bed linen and onto Jane's face making her scrunch up her facial features and hide her face from the inconvenient brightness.
Jane was lying on her back with Maura beside her. The honey blonde Medical Examiner had her head hidden against her girlfriend's neck, her eyes were closed peacefully in a state of slumber. The Italian woman's left arm was wrapped around Maura in a way that ensured that she was held closely against her, whilst her right arm was holding onto the little girl who was sleeping in with them.
Alessandra had started the night curled up between them but after a nightmare, the little girl was now spread across Jane's body with her head on the woman's chest as she listened to the calming beat of the woman's heart. The little girl's left hand was gripping the material of her foster mother's pyjama shirt whilst her right hand was securely held within Maura's hand.
The warm blankets were pulled up high, so high that they reached the little girl's neck and curved up to reach the same point on Maura too.
Detective Rizzoli groaned with annoyance at being pulled from her sleep by the sunlight and after a moment she turned towards the alarm clock that resided on the bedside table. The numbers signalled that it was already 09:56, Jane turned towards Maura and was surprised that the woman was still asleep although the little one had woken them in the early hours of the morning which could be to blame for the woman oversleeping.
Maura must have felt the movement of the woman beside her as she gradually opened her eyes to look up at her beautiful girlfriend.
"Good Morning", Jane whispered softly when her eyes met the ones of her lover.
Doctor Isles smiled brightly, "Good Morning", she said softly as she leaned up a little to press a gentle kiss to Jane's lips, "I love you". Her words were genuine, her voice was caring and her facial expressions showed truthful affection towards the dark haired woman that was lying beside her.
Those three words never got old, she loved hearing them each and every time that Maura spoke them - even before they were together, she would close her eyes at night and play the woman's words back to herself whilst imagining that she meant it in a more romantic manner rather than what it was. Jane was unaware at the time however that Maura did mean it in the way that she wanted it to be - she did not mean it in a platonic manner at all. Maura was in love with her. It was not the love of a simple friend. It was not the love of a family member. It was the love of a soul mate. It was the love of a lover. They had both spent so long loving each other from afar without telling the other - it was unnecessary torture.
"I love you too", Jane said with a bright smile, she wanted to cup the woman's cheek but found she could not do it as she did not have a free hand to do so - instead she opted to tug the smaller woman closer to her with the arm that was wrapped around her, "So so much". She stretched her neck slightly in order to kiss Maura lovingly.
Maura Isles leaned up so that she could kiss Jane back, increasing the depth and the passion within the kiss. The honey blonde woman was leaning up on her elbow so that she could reach her lover whilst keeping her gentle grip on little Alessandra's warm hand. The love shone brightly in her eyes, even brighter than the sun that shone through the curtain gap.
The little girl mumbled, yawned and wriggled a little as she began to wake up from her broken sleep.
Doctor Isles looked down at the little one just as her eyes fluttered opened and soon she found herself looking into a set of bright blue eyes, "Good Morning", she said softly towards the sleepy looking child.
Alessandra smiled brightly but did not say a single word and instead she wriggled so that she could look up at Jane too.
Jane grinned at the little one, wrapping her arm around her tighter than it had been before, "Good Morning Tesoro", she said lovingly as she pressed a kiss to the little one's forehead.
Little Allie was silent, not many words slipped from her lips when she was tired and the two women were gradually learning about the little one's behaviour although they did wonder if she did the same things before her kidnapping over a year previously or if it were an effect of the trauma that she had suffered throughout her time in captivity.
"Would you like to go downstairs for breakfast?", Maura asked softly.
The little girl shook her head to say no as she snuggled further down beneath the soft blankets and into the dark haired woman that she was currently lying on top of. It was clear that she was comfortable in her current position.
"We can have pancakes", Jane suggested with a smile, "Freshly made… fluffy pancakes with fruit".
Alessandra Mai looked tempted by that but she did not move from her position.
"How about we lay here for a little bit longer and then we get up and have pancakes for breakfast", Jane suggested softly, "You can have strawberries too, my little turtle".
The curly haired child giggled at the word 'turtle'.
"Then", Jane continued, "How about we go out to the park and you can play in the playground before we have feed the ducks there later?".
The blue eyed little girl looked very hesitant and did not reply at all.
Maura lifted Alessandra's hand to her lips and pressed a very gentle but loving kiss to the soft skin on the back of the little one's hand, "Do you like the park?", Maura asked with a minor tilt to her head.
Alessandra thought about the question for a moment before nodding slowly.
"What do you like at the park?", Doctor Isles asked as she watched the child's reactions closely.
Allie bit her lip ever so slightly as she contemplated the question that her foster mother had posed to her.
Alessandra Mai was wrapped up warmly with a Red Sox hat and scarf along with a thick coat and fluffy boots. The little one was sat on a swing with her mother pushing her.
Michelle was wearing a pair of brown leather boots, dark blue jeans, a brown jacket and matching white hat, scarf and gloves. She was happily pushing her youngest daughter on the swing in the park.
The park was not that far from their home and it was very cold out. The sun was shining down but there was a lot of snow on the ground. It was still early in the morning so the park was empty.
The little girl was due to have a hospital appointment and so her mother had decided that they would make time so that they could stop at the park on the way there in order to spend some time together before Alessandra had her check up.
Mrs Harmon had also decided that they would stop for lunch on the way home after the appointment and possibly go to the store to get the little one a small toy.
"Higher Mammina!", the little one screeched with excitement as the woman pushed her on the swing.
Michelle Harmon smiled brightly as she listened to the happy voice of her little girl, she loved her little girl more than words could possibly say and she enjoyed every moment that she spent with her.
She had struggled to become pregnant with Allie and her pregnancy was not an easy one. The woman had been very ill throughout the pregnancy and had eventually gone into premature labour at 33 weeks gestation due to HELLP Syndrome. The woman however was over the moon when she eventually got to hold her premature infant in her arms and to be able to feed her. She decided that the pain and worry that she had gone through throughout the pregnancy and labour was worth it to be able to hold her 'little princess' in her arms.
It was however very hard to watch her tiny baby go through the battle of her health issues. To see the wires attached along with the machines to assist the little one's lungs were all hard to see when they were all attached to her tiny little child who was tinted by the effects of jaundice.
Michelle followed the curly haired child's request and pushed her higher on the playground equipment but in a way that was safe. She would not push her any higher than she was at that point because she was worried that the little one would fall off of the swing and hurt herself. The 44 year old woman was very protective over her children but especially over her three year old little miracle who doctors thought would not survive.
"The swings", the little one said softly as she looked into Maura's eyes.
Jane smiled, "Oh really?", she replied happily.
Alessandra nodded as she moved so that she could see Jane better and her bright blue eyes sparkled a little as she spoke, "Then I can fly". Her words were energetic and enthusiastic as they slipped from her lips.
"They're my favourite too", the dark haired woman revealed with a smile as she held the two of them close to her in a protective and loving motion.
Allie grinned happily when she heard what the woman was telling her, "Really?", she asked excitedly.
Jane Rizzoli nodded with a smile as she confirmed what she had said, "Yep", she said with a 'pop' sound on the last letter of the word, "I always liked them as a kid and when I was a teenager I would always lean back so that I could see the sky as I swung on them".
Maura watched the two of them as they spoke about the playground equipment.
"What about now?", the little girl asked Jane as she watched her.
"I still go on them", she said softly, "Sometimes late at night I'll go to the park and do the same thing". Jane smiled remembering the view, "If you lay back on the swing and go as high as you can, then you can watch the sky and see all of the stars sparkling like diamonds".
Maura smiled at the image that it created in her mind's eye.
Alessandra snuggled down again, listening to Jane's heartbeat.
Jane ran her hand through the little one's curls, "Are you ready to go down for breakfast yet Tesoro?", she asked gently.
"In a minute", their foster daughter said quietly, "I'm busy".
Maura looked a little confused, as did Jane but the honey blonde was the one to speak, "You're busy, huh?", she said with a small smile, "With hugs?".
Alessandra shook her head, "Listening to superhero music", the little one whispered before raising her hand so that she could gently tap a finger to the woman's chest to signal that she was listening to Jane's heartbeat.
Maura Isles smiled, "Superhero music", she whispered softly in return, she had never heard of a heart beat being referred to as that before but she found herself rather fond of the term.
Jane did not reply to what the little girl referred to her heartbeat as but instead tugged her girlfriend and foster child closer to her before pressing a kiss to each of their heads.
After around twenty minutes, the three of them were downstairs in the kitchen with Maura sat on a stool at the breakfast bar, Alessandra in her lap whilst leaning back into the woman, and both of them were watching the dark haired Italian woman dancing around the kitchen as she made their pancakes.
Jane was wearing shorts and a tank top, her bare feet dancing around on the kitchen floor with a spatula in her hand as she created the pancakes that she had shaped like bunnies in the way that her own mother did for her. Three plates were set out on the side beside three glasses of orange juice and there were various fruits set out on a small platter nearby so that they could choose what to have on their pancakes. There were also a range of syrups and other dessert toppings that Jane had insisted upon pulling out of the cupboard.
A pancake was placed in front of the little girl first, "There you go my little Turtle", Jane said happily before nudging the platter closer so that the little one could reach the fruit - it had been at a distance from the child as she would have simply eaten the fruit whilst waiting otherwise.
Maura held Alessandra securely on her lap and kissed the side of her face in a caring manner.
Jane continued to make pancakes whilst Maura helped their foster child decorate the freshly made pancake. It did not take long before the second pancake was being placed in front of Maura.
Maura carefully held the little one with one arm, not putting her down, whilst she used her spare hand to sprinkle a small amount of sugar onto her pancake and throw on some fruit pieces. She managed to roll it before cutting off slices with her fork.
Detective Rizzoli smiled as she saw her girlfriend skillfully eat her pancakes using only one hand a fork whilst balancing their soon-to-be daughter in her lap. She found that she rather enjoyed watching her girlfriend with the rescued child because she loved to see the bright sparkle in Maura's eye at the sight of Allie's smile.
Once the third pancake had been made, Jane served it up for herself and turned down the stove before sitting down on the stool beside her girlfriend. The Italian woman found herself feeling happy and very lucky to be where she was in that moment because she had the woman of her dreams by her side and she had a beautiful daughter (although it was still unofficial).
Alessandra happily ate her pancake whilst sitting in the lap of Doctor Maura Isles, she was leaning back against her as she enjoyed each bite of her freshly made breakfast.
Maura could not help but smile as she balanced the little one in her lap, there had been a time that she thought that this would be physically impossible, something that would only happen in her happiest and most pleasant dreams. To be sitting there at the breakfast bar with the woman she had loved for years and also a beautiful little girl who was about to become their daughter, well that was simply amazing to her. For so long she had thought that Jane would never love her back, at least not in the way that she herself loved the Detective but now she realised how wrong she was, so very wrong.
The honey blonde Medical Examiner looked up at Jane and found the woman already looking at her, she smiled brightly seeing the bright shine of love in the dark haired woman's eyes. Maura's smile grew even bigger as she looked into the depths of her lover's eyes, "I love you", she said softly, leaning slightly closer to Jane.
Jane smiled, leaning into Maura as she knew what the other woman wanted. Her lips met the soft lips of her girlfriend in a gentle but loving kiss which turned into a few brief kisses.
Alessandra was far too distracted with her breakfast, her pancake was almost finished and she kept sneaking more strawberries onto her breakfast plate whilst the two women were distracted with each other.
Maura blushed slightly as she pulled back, glancing towards the little one that still remained in her lap before smiling with amusement.
Jane leaned forward to look at the little girl, "Is that….", she was about to ask if she liked her breakfast when she saw that the little one had strawberries around her lips which made it look like she had red lipstick on and the colouring of the fruit was painted around her face as well as on her fingers. The curly haired woman began to laugh, "Enjoying those?", she asked the little one.
Little Allie nodded with a strawberry held between her finger and thumb, whilst partially in her mouth. She did not reply verbally as she was too busy eating the red piece of food.
Maura grinned and hugged the little one close to her before pressing a kiss to the side of Alessandra's head.
An hour later the little one was dressed in a set of black jeans, white long sleeve top, white long jumper with sparkles dotted across it, a set of black boots and it was topped with a Red Monsoon Florence Coat which was a felted coat with multiple rows of ruffles, a curved collar and flower buttons that were made from metal. Maura made sure that the little one was wrapped up warm with a fluffy scarf, hat and gloves on before they left the house.
Jane helped the little one into the car, securely strapping her into her seat before moving to the driver's side.
Maura got into the front passenger seat with her bag in her lap which she had put some snacks and drinks into so that they could spend a little longer at the park.
It was cold out so the two women had decided that they would drive to the park so that if the little one was too tired then they would not need to carry her back in the cold but could instead drive back in the warm. It would also be an escape route if the little girl got too overwhelmed as it would be their first outing together and they were unsure how the child would react - especially if there were more children in the park than what they expected. Due to the cold it was not normal for there to be many children in the park.
Alessandra watched out of the window as they drove towards the park, it was not far from the house but they deemed it to be the better option.
Jane glanced in her driver's rear view mirror to check on the little girl and found a smile spreading across her own face as she watched the child, she rather liked to check on the little girl in the back seat when she was driving. She always found that a warmth would spread through her when she looked at the child because not only had she found her after searching for over a year for her but she was also able to keep the child with her and Maura. The knowledge that Alessandra Mai Harmon was finally safe was brilliant to her, and even more so the fact that she could see this each and every day.
It did not take long before they were pulling up at the park, Jane parked the car and got out before moving directly to Alessandra's car door to open it up and unstrap her.
As per usual, the sight of the Italian woman put a huge smile upon the child's face and Allie threw her arms up in the arm as soon as the straps were released. Jane was more than happy to catch the little girl who had almost thrown herself out of the car at her.
Jane's smile was huge as she loved to see the excitement that the little girl had upon the sight of her - this was something that Maura also loved. Maura had never seen someone so excited to see her before and it was an amazing feeling. There was no question that little Alessandra Mai loved both of her foster mothers.
Both of the women were glad to have the child with them, the only thing that would have made it better for them would have been if they had found her sooner. The time that it took to find the child was still something that played on the Detective's mind a lot. It was a torture that played in the background of her mind on a constant basis but gradually she was battling it and learning to come to terms with it. She knew that it had not been her fault but on the other hand it made her doubt her detective skills despite the amount of times that Maura reassured her as it was something that she simply had to get through herself - it was an internal battle that she had to fight.
Maura and Jane were both looking forward to the day when the adoption would be finalised. The Detective also had a second plan up her sleeve that her girlfriend was unaware of; a secret plan which would soon change their lives for the better, that was of course if Maura said the magic word. 'Yes'.
Closing the door, Jane carried the blue eyed child on her hip in the direction of the park whilst her spare gloved hand held on firmly to Maura's as the two women walked side by side. They were pleased to see that the park was empty as it meant that they would not have to worry about the little one becoming too overwhelmed.
Maura reached forward and pushed open the blue painted metal gate so that Jane could enter the enclosed park space with their foster child.
Jane stepped in through the gate and onto the black coated playground flooring before moving towards a wooden bench which sat near the fencing. She sat down carefully and arranged the little girl so that she was sat in her lap.
Alessandra was sat rather comfortably in the woman's lap as she looked around the park, taking in her environment as she looked at the playground equipment and beyond, towards the trees that surrounded the park as well as the large areas of grass that were often used for sports.
Maura reached out and took the little one's gloved hand in her own, "Would you like to go and play?", she asked softly when Allie turned to look in her direction.
The slightly nervous child bit her lip slightly as she glanced around the park again, she was clearly unsure of her surroundings and so she made no attempt to get down from Jane's lap or to move in the slightest.
"We'll come and play too", Jane said softly towards the child as she held her close in a kind and caring embrace.
All of a sudden, Little Allie seemed much more welcoming to the idea of playing in the park and happily climbed down from the woman's lap although she did it without letting go of Maura's hand for even a millisecond. She turned to run towards the park and because she had not let go of Doctor Isles' gloved hand, she consequently tugged the woman with her.
Maura however had a huge smile upon her face as she was pulled towards the playground equipment by the happy little girl.
Jane was overwhelmed with various positive emotions as she saw the love of her life being tugged along by what would soon be their daughter, the scene of the honey blonde playing with their daughter was something that had happened repeatedly in her dreams - dreams that she hated to be awoken from and always closed her eyes in order to attempt to slip back into that world but the attempts never did work.
The sun was shining brightly in Beacon Hill, the light was reflecting on the surface of the swimming pool and making the water sparkle like diamonds. The sound of birds were singing around them whilst the soft breeze made the Boston heatwave bearable.
Jane lay back on the sun lounging chair whilst watching Maura in the swimming pool.
Maura was in a bikini, her hair was pinned up whilst her face was free of any makeup and she had a huge smile painted on her face whilst she played with an energetic little girl.
The little girl had hazel eyes, dark hair and a massive smile on her face as she screeched happily.
She lay back beneath the sun's rays with a smile plastered on her face, watching as Maura spun the little one in circles in the water.
The swimsuit wearing child was spreading her hands out so that when she was spun around, the water would end up being thrown up into the air as it was forced away by her hands.
Jane got up from the bench and followed the two of them towards the playground equipment.
Alessandra began to climb up onto the monkey bars, climbing the wooden ladder than led to it with Maura standing very close by.
The protective, maternal nature of the woman was coming out more and more each day. She truly was a natural with the little one and she was enjoying every moment of it.
Jane came up behind her and wrapped her arms securely around Maura's waist before resting her chin on her girlfriend's shoulder as they both watched the little girl.
Allie reached her hands forward to grab hold of the first bar of the playground equipment and swung herself forward.
Maura flinched, instinctively going forward to grab hold of her but she was held back by Jane.
"She's okay", Jane whispered discreetly into her lover's ear.
The woman felt slightly nervous but nodded, she was worried that the little one would be hurt whilst playing.
Alessandra continued to swing, she was taking one bar in her hands at a time and kicking herself forward - it was clear that she had done it before as she was rather confident in her ability to cross the bars which were a lot taller than what she was.
The two women grinned happily when the little girl reached the other side safely, Maura stepped forward and embraced the child, "Well done Allie", she said softly.
"Your turn now Jane", the little one declared with a huge smile.
Jane was taken aback a little but grinned happily before stepping forward to do it. Her height however meant that she had to bend her legs slightly so that she would not be simply walking along the floor whilst holding the bars. She made it across the bars quite quickly before taking Alessandra from Maura's arms, "Your turn", she said with amusement.
Maura looked very hesitant as she looked up at the bars.
Allie grinned, "You can do it Maura", she said happily, she was enthusiastic and clearly had faith in the woman's abilities.
The honey blonde nodded briefly before stepping forward, she was a lot more hesitant than what Jane had been previously and so was slower than what the Detective was when making her way across the bars but eventually she made it across without falling from the wooden bars although her hands were a little sore.
Jane smiled and hugged the woman close to her as Allie excitedly declared, "I knew you could do it".
They played together for almost an hour before settling down on the swing. It was a large round swing which was made up of a large metal ring and covered in a thick netting. The two women were lying back on the swing with the little one in between them. Jane's leg was hanging off and she was using it to kick the ground so that they would swing calmly as they watched the sky.
Alessandra was quite happy to lay there in silence with the two women until she heard a loud noise. The child sat up straight suddenly upon the sound of laughter and screaming.
A group of children, were running towards the park - all of which were very loud as they shouted, laughed and screamed at each other. There were only 7 of them but to her it sounded more like 70 as she had not been around other children for a while and she definitely had not interacted with any for an even longer time period.
Quickly, the little girl's posture and behaviour changed dramatically.
She had been calm but now she was agitated.
She had been lying down but now she was sitting up and curling into herself, attempting to curl over into a small enough position that she would vanish from sight.
She had been still but now she trembled in fear.
Jane was first to react and sat up straight away in order to stop the swing with both of her feet.
Alessandra threw herself into the woman's arms and clung to her tightly.
"I think it's time to go home", Maura said softly as she reached up to run a hand through the little one's soft curly hair.
Jane nodded in agreement as she got off of the swing along with her girlfriend. The Detective held the little one close to her, tightly and securely she was carrying her towards the gate that they had entered through.
Her knuckles were going white with the strength that she was using to hold onto the material of Jane's coat although her hands were covered by thick and fluffy gloves that were keeping her hands warm.
She could feel the strong, vice-like grip that the little girl had on her clothing and she ensured that she walked quickly towards the car.
The other children could be heard on the playground equipment, they were very noisy and the noise had simply been too overwhelming for the little girl. Alessandra was again suffering from sensory overload, just like she had at the station when she initially was taken through to where Jane's desk resided.
"I'll sit in the back with her on the way home", Maura suggested as Jane began to attempt to buckle the little one into the car. The little one was clinging tightly and her breathing was abnormal.
Jane nodded towards Maura in response to her suggestion.
Maura moved around to the other side of the car in order to climb in and coax the child in from that direction.
After a few minutes, the little girl was safely held in Maura's lap. Although it was not an ideal positioning for the child to be in whilst in a moving vehicle, it was the easiest for them all as the child was so on edge and in need of comfort as she clung to the woman tightly.
Jane glanced in her rearview window to check on the little one, and she bit her lip worriedly as she saw the look on her girlfriend's face.
Maura looked worried and distressed as she held the little one close to her and rocked her as best she could in the position that she was in and whilst strapped into the car herself.
Alessandra was still visibly shaking but by the time that they arrived back at their home in Beacon Hill, she had calmed down a lot although was still visibly nervous.
Jane pulled up outside of their house and got out to open the house door before moving back to the car.
Maura knew what Jane would be doing so sat still in the car, waiting for her to return so that she could have help to get out of the car with the child.
Once the door had been unlocked and opened, Jane returned to Maura's car door in order to carefully open the door so that she would not frighten the child more than she already was.
Gently, Maura handed Allie over to the other woman and instantly the child clung to Jane yet again.
Maura got out of the car and made her way towards the house after locking the car, when she got into the living room Jane was already sat on the sofa with the little one in her lap.
Jane was rocking the little one carefully, Allie was clearly highly anxious as her eyes flickered around the room and she buried herself as close as possible to the woman.
Doctor Isles moved closer, she was quiet and slow in her movements as she slipped the blanket off of the back of the sofa. She placed it on the side and then moved the child so that she could wrap the child firmly within the soft material of the blanket, swaddling her as if she were an infant before placing her back into Jane's lap.
Jane held the little one close to her, running a hand through her hair.
Meanwhile, Maura heated up some milk and put it into mugs before moving back to the sofa and setting the cups down on the coffee table quietly.
"What about a movie?", Maura offered gently.
"Sounds good", Jane said softly whilst holding a now sleepy Alessandra.
Maura picked up the remote controls and flicked through the settings in order to get to Netflix so that they could select a movie, she selected Frozen as she knew that the little girl was rather fond of the film.
Another blanket was pulled over them, Maura curled up beside Jane and rested her head on the woman's shoulder.
Alessandra buried herself into Jane, listening to the calming beat of her heart as she watched the movie and listened to the beautiful singing of Idina Menzel.
It was not long before the little girl was fast asleep in Jane's lap with her legs over Maura.
Jane ran her fingers over the small child's cheek before looking at Maura, "You did great Maur', how did you know to wrap her up like that?".
Maura looked down at the now peacefully sleeping child, "I read an article the other day about anxiety in children and the effects of swaddling", she said softly.
A smile spread over Jane's face before she leaned over to press a loving kiss to her lover's lips.
"She did so well today", Maura commented, "I wasn't sure how she'd react to such an open space and she was brilliant".
Jane nodded with a smile as she held the woman close whilst still holding the little one securely in her arms.
Maura rested her head on Jane's shoulder as they continued to watch the movie, snuggled up together, they were soon all asleep together.
Protectively, Jane held on to both her girlfriend and their daughter.
A/N: Apologies for the huge delay in updating, I cannot believe that it has been over a month since I last updated! It has been a little hectic but I am back at uni soon so I will have some peace and quiet (when I have time gaps between assignments, lectures, workshops, meetings etc).
I tried to get this chapter up yesterday when I realised that it was January 7th but well it takes forever to get anything done here, so I am a little… delayed and am now apparently behind my story datewise.
Courtneeyoung18 - Thank you for your review. I'm so glad that you are enjoying the story so far.
Sweetkid45 - Thank you so much for reviewing this story, I am glad that you are enjoying this story so much.
Jjswinnlive - I'm glad that you think so, thank you for reviewing. Hopefully I will have more regular updates for you all soon.
Xenagabbyrizziles - Glad that you liked the love scene and enjoyed the fluff. Thank you for reviewing.
Laurenknight13 - Thank you for taking the time to review. I am so glad that you are enjoying the story. I will most likely do various flashbacks to show their relationship progression as well as the flashbacks to show what happened with Alessandra. I am unsure on Massachusetts adoption law but I am aiming to have them adopt her as girlfriends with the possibility of them marrying later. This story seems to have a life of its own and continues to grow without permission so we shall see.
Tjmcqueen - Thank you for your review, I am glad that you like it so far.
Vbbneighbour - Thank you for reviewing the last chapter, I do hope that you continue to enjoy the story as you have done so far.
Luckypenguinbuddy - Thank you so much for reviewing again, I am glad to see that you are still enjoying the story. There will be one more day/chapter after this one before returning to interviews within the Monday chapter.
Guest - Thank you for leaving a review/request - I am definitely considering writing for 'How to Get Away with Murder' - Eve/Annalise and I will add it to my list but I have so many to write that it may take a while. I am going to work on increasing my output of stories soon, so whenever I get chance then I will be writing. I love the show and who doesn't love Famke Janssen? That woman is stunning. I have this one to write, a few to finish and then a notebook of ideas that include but are not limited to; NCIS, CSI, CSI:NY, CSI:Miami, Rizzoli and Isles, Body of Proof, Loving Annabelle (I freaking love Katherine Brooks' work and who doesn't like seeing 'Simone' on screen?), Orange is the New Black, and Helix.