"Maura!" Her mother's voice rings out over the soft murmur of the crowd, and Maura nods her acknowledgement, handing her jacket to the man at the coat check.

"Mother." She moves forward to kiss the woman on both cheeks.

"You look well," Constance says, gesturing that they should sit down. As soon as Maura moves to do so, there is a busboy pulling out and pushing in her chair, filling her water. And the waiter himself seems to materialize out of nowhere.

"White wine for the ladies?" he asks, "As usual?"

"Yes," Constance say, as Maura shakes her head.

"No."

The waiter looks between the two of them. Confused.

Constance shoots Maura a look. "Give us a moment, will you Abraham?" She says coldly. He bows immediately and snaps his fingers, and he and the busboy that was readying the ice bucket for the wine seem to melt away into the scenery.

Maura smiles a little wryly, contemplating the relationship between money and service, but when she looks up at her mother, she feels the smile fall from her face.

"Mother?"

"How many weeks are you?" Her mother asks, her voice deadly.

"Wha?"

"Don't say 'wha-' like that, it makes you look like you're missing a chromosome. I asked you when your child is due. That's why you wanted to meet me isn't it? That's why you won't drink? You've gotten pregnant."

Maura stares at her mother. "No. I-I mean, not yet. I came to tell you we're trying. That Jane and I are trying to start a family. But they only just put the embryos on ice yester-"

"Stop it," Constance hisses looking around, embarrassed, as though Maura has uttered an unthinkable swear word. "I would thank you to keep that kind of talk away from my meal. Especially in places like this."

Maura swallows back her anger, but it roars inside her like a caged lion. "You picked the restaurant, Mother," she says evenly.

Her mother makes an clicking sound with her tongue, "Don't get into semantics with me, Maura. Are you telling me...are you telling me that the baby that you are going to carry is not going to be your own?"

"No. I'm telling you that Jane and I don't want to know. We're implanting two fertilized eggs into my-"

"You're using my money to play some kind of Russian Roulette with your body and the product that comes from this may be...Another Rizzoli?"

Maura grips the edges of the table, trying to resist the urge to turn it over. She had not expected this from her mother. Since the wedding, their correspondence had been ranging from neutral to pleasant. Constance has not said anything this overtly offensive in months.

"We're leaning towards Rizzoli-Isles," She says, watching with mounting fury as her mother flushes angrily. "Three syllables always sounds better coming first." She leans in a little so that her mother looks up into her face, "And I haven't touched your money since I turned eighteen," she says quietly.

Constance stares at her, shock and anger and...pain? Maura gives herself a moment to breathe before trying a different approach. "I thought you would be happy for us, mother. And I thought you would want to be present in your grandchild's life."

"Maura," Constance says, and her voice is that of someone who is suffering. "Maura, I beg you to see reason here," she says quietly. "Think about your work. Think about the stress. Think about the danger that that woman puts you in every day. You've been shot and assaulted and..." Constance casts around for the correct word, "tazed. Think about what it would mean to bring a child into that-"

Maura puts up her hand, unable to hear anymore. "Enough. Are you blaming Jane for those things? Are you honestly telling me that she's the reason that those things happened?"

"If you had married Garrett Fair-"

"I'd be in prison for accessory to murder just like his wife, and that WOULD have been all his fault." Maura is almost shaking their table with anger.

"Keep your voice down," Constance hisses again.

"Why? So that your snooty friends don't run off and gossip about your wayward lesbian daughter who wants to have a beautiful, wonderful family with the person she loves most in the world? HEAVEN FORBID."

Maura feels like laughing. Or crying. this whole thing is so predictable. she pictures her wife, probably at the robber with Frost by now, and the easy way she smiles and laughs. The gentle way she'd helped Maura into the car after the first procedure. The way she'd woken her up last night to whisper in her ear: "Two things. I really like the name James, and no matter what happens tomorrow with your mother, I love you unconditionally and this is your home."

Maura looks at her mother. "I honestly thought you'd be happy for me."

"Happy for you?" Constance looks completely taken aback. "Happy that my daughter is going to bring a fatherless child into this world, and then have it grow up never knowing if it's mother is going to come back safely? I am a grown woman, Maura and every time my phone rings in the middle of the night, I..." Constance stops abruptly, and Maura stares at her mother, sure she has not imagined the tremor in her voice.

"I know you love that woman, Maura, but she makes your life so dangerous." Constance says quietly, her voice almost back under control.

Maura doesn't know what to say. She peers curiously at her mother. "All you're seeing are the bad things," Maura says carefully, her mother makes a dejected gesture, so unlike her that Maura loses her words again.

"You were almost...and you were just a little girl," she says, and Maura realizes that Constance is talking about all those years ago, when she was almost assaulted on the way home from Jane's house."

"She saved me," Maura says quietly.

"You shouldn't always need saving." Constance says bitterly. "I tried so desperately to keep you safe. You're so special, Maura. You're so gifted and talented and...you're so special..." Constance looks away, her face suddenly stern, as though saying this is a burden that she should not have to deal with. "To me." She says after enough time has passed that Maura can't remember the beginning of her sentence. She rewinds it in her head. You're so special...to me. The realization of what has been said almost knocks Maura out of her chair. She reaches across the table and takes her mother's hand before she knows what she's even doing.

"Oh, Mom," she says, and for a moment they just stare at each other, and Maura wonders what it must be like to watch your daughter leave your house, or your country, or your life, and not know if you will ever see her again. "You never told me," she said.

Constance smiles crookedly, "Would it have made a difference? I kept you away from her for fifteen years and it didn't make a difference. You look at her now, the same way you did when you were fifteen."

Maura squeezes her mother's hand. Constance has never admitted to wanting to keep Maura from Jane, and Maura, to her credit, does not push it. She understands just how much her mother has wagered with this confession.

"I would have told you all about her. How it's not just about danger or fear or people getting hurt, but that it's also about love and trust and feeling happier than I ever have in my life. It's..." Maura looks around, finally smiling, "It's about how she eats cheeseburgers."

Constance looks at her daughter, clearly confused, and Maura puffs her cheeks out and cross her eyes, "Like they're the best thing she's ever eaten in her life. every time."

And Constance actually laughs.

"I want a little boy or a little girl who eats cheeseburgers like that, Mother. I want a child who smiles like it's Christmas when I bring her home the fudge clusters that you can pick up at the corner store for 2.99. I want a baby just like Jane. God. I hope it's just like her," Maura finishes, having almost forgotten that her mother is sitting across the table from her. She looks at Constance, who looks back transfixed.

"Please be happy for us," Maura says. "Please."

Constance waves her hand in the air and a waiter is back by their side.

"I will have your best champagne. Blanc de Noirs if you have it. 1997. But nothing for Dr. Isles.

She's going to be a mother."


Later, Maura says it all happened so fast she couldn't even remember the color of the car.

Did you get a licence plate number?

Maura says that her mother was happy for them. She was happy that they were trying and then she was grabbing Maura's jacket and heaving her out of the way. Heaving.

Maur. Do you know what kind of car it was?

Maura says that her mother's face, before the car threw her into the air. Was one of such maternal fear that it stole Maura's breath and she couldn't even yell out. She could only stand there and look at the spot where her mother was. And then wasn't.

"Okay. Okay, Maura, let's go home baby. Clean you up and then we can-"

"No. I'm not leaving her."

"Maura, you're covered in..." Jane hesitates "You need fresh clothes, Maura."

"I'm not leaving."

Jane touches Maura's arm, "Honey."

But Maura slaps her away. "I asked her to be happy for us and she WAS." Maura says, her voice rising in an attempt to keep her tears away. "She was happy, and she said," Maura's eyes widen as another part of the evening comes back to her. "She said I was special to her. She said I was so special to her, and she didn't want to see me hurt...Oh, God."

Jane reaches for her, and Maura allows the detective to embrace her as she sobs, drowning out Jane's words of comfort, but not the tone behind them.
"She's gonna be alright, Honey. It's okay. She's going to be okay."

"YOU." Maura pushes Jane away, and she stumbles backwards, confused. "She was saving me from your danger."

"What?"

"That car was coming at me. It jumped the curb and came at. me. There is no way that is a coincidence."

"Maura...Are you sure?"

"Of course I'm sure, Jane. My mother was pushing me out of the way of danger. Danger that you created. There's no way it's not connected to your arson case."

She has never called one of their cases "your case" before and Jane works very hard not to narrow her eyes, but Maura can read the change in her emotions as she comprehends Maura's words.

But she doesn't care. All she can see is her mother laughing over their desert. Laughing. At something Maura had said.

And then her eyes wide with fear as she had yanked Maura out of the way. Fear that something would happen to her daughter.

"She's going to be okay, Maura." Jane has stepped close to her again, and fear and anger and fear - So much fear - make her push out at the brunette again. Needing her to give her some space.

Needing her to be farther away.

Needing her to try to come back again.

"Go, away, Jane" she says, and Jane blinks at her.

"Maur, I know it was scary, and I know that you're hurting, but let me-"

But the medical examiner advances on her wife, finger pointing at her heart. "Let you what? help? How can you help? What can you do that will help me right now?" She feels a little hysterical, the numbness she felt as she dialed 911 and knelt down beside her mother and grasped her hand, and tilted her head back is dissipating and leaving something tight and burning in her chest. You're so special to me.

"She said I was special to her, and now she's..." Maura's voice cracks, and Jane steps up to her again, reaching out. But Maura backs up. Shaking her head.

"GO AWAY, JANE." She says. "Go do...your gumshoe think or whatever it is you do...and find the asshole that did this to my mother."

Jane stares at her, her face blank.

"GO!" Maura says, wishing her mouth would say stay.

Jane puts her hands in her pockets. She waits, for nearly a minute, but Maura doesn't speak again. Or look at her.

"I'm going to bring you some clothes to change into," She says quietly. And her voice is not sad or angry. It just is.

"And then I'll head to the precinct. I'll send Frost to check on you."

Maura turns away, so she only hears Jane say,

"I love you, Maur." So quietly that it's like she's speaking to herself.

...

She overhears them talking on one of her trips to the precinct to check on her substitute. Frost and Jane, backs to her as she crosses towards the elevator, she hears her name and stops walking. She knows she should keep going, if they turn around and see her listening...but she can't. The sight of Jane, her long body and her wavy unruly hair makes Maura ache a little.

She's stayed in the hospital with her mother for the past three nights, and although Barry tells her every day that Jane has come, to drop off a tooth brush, to bring more clothes, to ask her to look at the dust pattern on a recovered glove because the ME in her place is useless, Maura does all of these things through the younger detective, and tells him to send her away.

"It's been four days, Frost," Jane says, rolling her shoulders uncomfortably.

"Her mother almost died."

"I know. That's my point. I want her to let me be there for her. She's never not been there for me."

"She deals with things differently than you do. She's never been in that kind of situation before."

"I miss her."

"She misses you."

"She won't see me," Jane's voice sounds exhausted.

"More time." Frost says simply.

"If I could just catch the bastard. I know it's Flynn. I know it. But we have nothing unless he confesses. Fuc-sorry, nothing."

Maura almost lets out a sob as Jane catches herself in her swear. She moves down the hall quickly, away from the pair. her mind made up.

Kevin Flynn. She knows that name. She remembers him as one of the firemen they'd questioned.

We have nothing unless he confesses.

Maura doesn't go down to the morgue. She takes the elevator up to procedures, and when she steps out, the man at the desk sees her and smiles.

"Dr. Isles," he says, "Rizzoli sending you on her errands again?"

Maura nods, giving a sigh, ignoring the wrenching twist her stomach gives at the lie. "She needs a wire, Neil, can you?"

Neil sighs, standing up and lumbering off to get her what she needs.

When he returns and hands it to her, she smiles at him. "Thank you."

"You tell Rizzoli she's still gotta come sign for this, case number and everything. And you tell her to stop sending you on her errands."

"I will Neil. Thank you."

When Maura leaves the precinct, Jane and Frost are no where to be found.

...

Neil meets her two hours later, and Maura feels a little light headed, maybe from the lies she's told today, maybe from the knowledge that she is doing something dangerous. She wonders if this is how Jane feels every time she walks into a volatile situation. Maura thinks that if it is, then she understands why Jane is addicted to it.

"Dr. Isles?" Flynn looks around, "You came alone?" he asks incredulously.

"Yes. I wanted to discuss some things, and I'm not sure that you would want Detective Rizzoli around for this conversation."

His eyes narrow, but he doesn't move away as she unrolls the blueprints of the building. He listens to her explanation with a blank face, watching her point out the inconsistencies, and the similarities in the fires.

It's only when she circles around to motive that his face gives a telltale twitch.

Maura wishes she had a camera too.

Mother, she thinks. I'm going to get justice for my mother and a conviction for Jane. The thought makes her unbearably giddy. It doesn't even matter that she and Jane have not spoken for the past 72 hours. Once Jane sees what she's done. How she's made it right…
"Why are you smiling like that?"
Maura jerks her head up to look at Kevin Flynn, and his eyes are mean and suspicious.

"You think that since you walk in here without back up, I'm just going to confess to you and let you walk away so that you can tell your girlfriend?"

Maura resists the urge to correct him.

"I'm not going to tell Jane," she says carefully. "I just want to know why."

"What do you mean why? Less money means fewer firefighters, with less pay," he steps towards her, and Maura feels a trickle of fear.

"The city needs to know that they need us. They need us just as much as they need your precious police officer."

"Detective." This one really does slip out, and Maura looks up into his eyes, her own wide and uncertain.

Kevin Flynn shakes his head. "I don't want to hurt you, Doctor." He says, and he pulls something from behind his back, out of the waist band of his pants.

Maura feels her blood run cold.

"Kevin. I'm not going to tell any-"

"I know you won't," he says, almost sadly, and he cocks the pistol, and Maura steps back and turns to run, but he grabs her by the hair, "I'm very, very sorry, Doctor Isles," he says in her ear. "But if the city doesn't understand the value of the firefighter…then it will burn."

And he slams her, face first into one of the warehouse supporting beams.

Maura feels her forehead split open and the warmth of blood spilling down her face.

And she hears the gunshots ring out. One twothree and wonders why it doesn't hurt more,

wonders why she didn't bring her own weapon with her

wonders why death's arms feel so so much

Like Jane's.


AH. the cliffhanger that is Burning Down the House. Don't worry. a new chapter will be up later tonight or tomorrow AM, just have to type it up from dictation. :)

Ts! OMG I'm so glad you got a handle and now I will spam you with PMs telling you how much I love ya.

Agentbreezy, mustanggirl,hannahbay, the shooter (...that's a little frightening), texas, nightwing, redbullblue, raeday, tvaddict. OMG thank you all so much for your comments. welcome! I'm glad you're enjoying, and even though you came around at the end of this one, there will be a whole new one! I hope you'll keep enjoying.

JMpack, julez, Davislp ack. you guys. killin me over here.

Mad shoutout to Jobee who is helping me with baby things and took the time to type up all her info on HER PHONE. i text one word and I get frustrated.

Fallen Austin. I...you...with your words...and support. I owe you a PM. it's acomin. *runs away* And AE. talking me up after I was down, and making me realize that I write for me. and share with YOU guys. :)

happy reading.

t.c.