A/N: Trigger warning, Jane discusses her miscarriage a bit in this chapter. Nothing too heavy, but please be aware.

Jane could always hear the dog on the other side of the door when she came home. He whined and barked, his claws making noise on the hardwood, and drawing commands from the Doctor inside. When Jane came in, Brady would sit, his tail wagging as he pressed his body against her. "Hey, bud! Did you miss me?" He tried to scooch closer as she spoke, leaning into her scratches. Jane pat his side and pointed. "Well go get me a toy!" Maura's laughter from the kitchen sent warmth to Jane's stomach as Brady returned with a long rope with three knots tied in it. They played tug of war for a bit in the doorway until Jane let go and Brady walked away, triumphant in his perceived win, to lie on the floor and chew it to pieces.

Shaking her head, Jane joined Maura in the kitchen, pressing a kiss to her cheek. "How was your day?"

"Uneventful." She stirred her creation in the pot, which smelled delightful (though Jane had learned never to ask what she was making), before leaning back into the brunette's embrace. "Which I have to admit, I've come to enjoy."

"Mmmm. I mean, sometimes I miss the thrill of chasing a suspect, the collaboration between my team as we solve a case." She nuzzled her head on Maura's shoulder. "But I've learned that different isn't bad. And to enjoy the uneventful days."

"Who knew that it would take the FBI to tame Jane Rizzoli?"

"I know, right?" They laughed, separating, Jane moving to the cabinet to get a glass for water.

The dog, sensing they were making dinner, started peeking his head around the island, begging for a morsel. But Maura stopped that behavior, shooing him away. "Don't act all innocent, Brady. You are not starving." He sulked away, sitting just outside the kitchen area, still close enough to see what was going on.

Jane watched the exchange with curiosity, watching as Maura went back to casually stirring the pot. "What was that about?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you what your dog did today?" She raised an eyebrow as she addressed the brunette, her voice somewhat harsh. "He ate my bagel. It was on the table, I walked away for a second, and when I came back it was gone."

Jane couldn't help but giggle, her eyes drifting to the dog who was watching them with a guilty look on his face. "The whole bagel?"

"Yes. Your dog ate the whole bagel."

Walking forward, Jane placed both her hands on the blonde's shoulders. "I hate to break it to you, babe, but technically he's your dog." She silenced Maura's protests with a kiss on her cheek. "Yours is the only name on his paperwork."

After living in DC for five months, Jane had started following several businesses on Facebook, trying to learn what was going on, to find things to do in her free time. On one of the pages, people had been sharing posts from a local animal shelter. Before Jo, Jane never considered herself a dog or cat person. They had only ever had one dog and one cat growing up. Her Ma had a cat named Muffin that died when Tommy was in diapers. Jane's experience with Muffin was limited, and included petting her until she decided she was done and ran away. She wasn't warm and fuzzy, curling up on your lap to feel close. She was just there.

Then there was Peach. Peach was her Grandmother's pomeranian. Peach was nasty, growling and biting anytime the kids came to visit. She'd sit under the kitchen table and attack them, hoping for food. When Jane was a teenager and her Grandmother died, Angela inherited Peach. She didn't seem to get any less evil while living with them, creating a home for herself under their table and taking several chunks out of all of her siblings' legs. It was two years before Peach was rehomed and Jane decided then that she would never have another dog.

Jo was different. She didn't snarl or bite. She was always excited to see Jane when she came home. And in some ways, she made Jane slow down. It was hard to pull a 36-hour shift knowing she had a dog in her apartment that needed relief and food. Jane couldn't describe why she had connected with the dog so fast, nor why she felt sad when her family was found (thanks to Tommy's Facebook addiction). And despite her new free time, Jane found herself longing for that companionship. Life got in the way, though. When her apartment burned down, the capture of Alice Sands occupied all of her free time. Then the job offer and move happened, and things were too hectic for a dog. And finally, Maura happened.

Maura coming into her life in the way that she did was unexpected, to say the least. Jane never believed she would fall for her female best friend, let alone have her return those feelings. After admitting their feelings and deciding to change their relationship, Jane's time all started revolving around Maura. When Maura was going to visit. What she and Maura were going to do together. Wallowing for days after Maura left. But then Maura was there every day in her tiny apartment. And their large house. And Jane found the companionship she had been looking for in the woman that she loved.

This did not take away her desire for a dog. It made no sense. It didn't help that Maura wasn't exactly a dog person, spouting facts about them when Jane showed her pictures instead of cooing over the photos with her. She sat next to Jane on the couch one day as she cycled through photos. "We could get a tortoise." Seeing the look Jane shot her made her laugh, the sound blowing softly through her nose. "What? Bass was sweet."

"He was." Jane nodded. "But he wasn't cuddly. And you couldn't play with him."

"Tortoises live longer than dogs. They're a better investment."

"Yes, but then who takes care of the tortoise after we die, Maura?" Jane held out her phone. "Dogs are more fun, more furry, and have better personalities." She scrolled to the photo of the copper pup with dark soulful eyes. "Look Maur, his name is Brady. It's like he belongs with us!" Maura looked at the picture for a while, taking it in. "He is rather cute." Her hazel eyes found Jane's, her eyebrows pulled together as she thought. "Why all the interest in a dog?"

Jane shrugged, going back to look at pictures. "I can't explain it. I think the combination of unconditional love and something to care for."

Maura had leaned against her then, her head resting on Jane's shoulder. "I love you unconditionally."

Pressing a kiss to the tip of her nose, Jane put down her phone and snuggled in closer. "I know that," she started, drawing patterns on Maura's knee as she spoke, "but I don't have to care for you." At the blonde's scoff and swat, Jane found herself backpedaling. "I don't mean it like that! I mean, of course I care about you!" Hazel eyes searched her face for understanding, and Jane took a deep breath before continuing. "You are so much better at taking care of people. And maybe that's your profession, or because you're a people-pleaser, but I don't have to do much. You have dinner ready before I get home. You can take care of us both financially. If you're sick you get yourself to a doctor, and if I'm sick you drag me to one against my will." Jane's thought trailed off with a chuckle, and Maura's knowing smirk.

The Doctor took a breath. "You want something to take care of." As she understood, Maura relaxed against her, watching Jane scroll again through pictures.

"Yes." She paused again of the photo of the red dog, Brady. "I don't get it. But I've wanted one ever since Jo went home to her family."

"So, for a while." Jane hummed in affirmation, once again discarding the phone in favor of the Doctor laying against her. They sat for a while, neither of them moving or saying anything, letting the conversation settle. At some point, the blonde began to yawn and stretch, moving off of Jane and onto the other side of the couch. "I think I'm too tired to cook tonight." She studied Jane's face as she spoke, her eyes taking in every twitch.

"Are you trying to get me to care for you?" Jane smirked as she spoke, and a familiar flash in the Doctor's eyes told her that her hunch was correct.

"Well, you can cook, or we can order out, either way, I'm not planning on lifting a pan tonight." Maura crossed her arms across her chest, her eyebrow raised in challenge.

"Fine. Pork chops and applesauce it is." Jane leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her girlfriend's head before padding off to the kitchen.

Leaning against the arm of the couch, Maura lifted her phone and started scrolling. "We need a vegetable too. Mashed potatoes don't count, that's a starch."

"Don't be a backseat… chef, Maur." The bewildered expression on her girlfriend's face made Jane laugh. Rather than ask what she meant, Maura shook her head, her eyes rolling as she focused back on her phone.

The dinner had been a hit (even if Maura thought she used too much paprika), and the rest of the night passed with no further talk of dogs. Jane graded papers while Maura researched the latest treatments to help a young patient. The following morning they both had left for their respective jobs, same as almost any other day. But when Jane returned home, she was surprised to see that Maura wasn't there. Pulling out her phone, she shot her a quick text. I don't feel like cooking again tonight, what do you want for dinner? I can pick it up. She pulled open the drawer of take-out menus, pulling out a few of Maura's favorites, waiting for an answer.

She didn't get one. Instead, after about five minutes, she heard the garage door open, announcing the Doctor's arrival. Jane laid the menus out and waited for her to come in.

After several minutes, Jane heard the sound of the doorknob jiggle. At the sound of heels clicking on the tile, Jane had walked over and pressed a kiss to the blonde's cheek. She seemed stiffer than usual, her expression strange. "Hey, babe. How was work?"

"Um, fine." The answer was non-committal, her face stoic.

"Did something happen?"

She shook her head, the movements jerky. "No. But, I may have done something."

"At work? Is everything okay?"

"Not at work. Work was fine." Her eyes snapped up and her shoulders fell. "I may have done something. And it might have been crazy. But last night it seemed like a great idea, and all day I was so excited to see the look on your face. But it hit me in the last hour or so that I should have talked to you first, that this was a big decision, and if you aren't okay with it then I can't do anything to fix it, and I shouldn't have…"

"Okay, okay, just relax." Jane's hands had reached out to her shoulders, making sure to meet her eye and give her a reassuring smile. "You'd have to do a lot to make me upset with you. You know that, right?" Maura nodded. "So unless you're about to tell me you murdered someone, I think we will survive." She let out a strangled laugh at that, breathing for what seemed to be the first time since returning home. Jane smiled, relieved that some of her anxiety was lessened. "So tell me, Maur, do you have a body in your car?"

She took a breath. "I do." The unexpected answer made Jane pause, her eyes searching Maura's face for clues. "But I assure you, he is very much alive."

"Maura, what do you mean?"

She pulled Jane along, walking backward toward the door. "Let me show you."

In the garage, in the backseat of Maura's car, was a dog. Jane stopped moving at the landing when she saw his copper little head hanging out the window, his tail wagging and spreading hair all over her detailed seats. "That's a dog."

"Yes." Maura's one-word reply didn't answer the question Jane seemed unable to ask.

"Like, an actual dog."

"He is real. You can pet him." The dog barked as Maura approached, his tail wagging harder as she spoke to him while scratching his ear.

Watching her face soften, her voice rising in pitch made Jane's stomach flutter, thinking about things she hadn't allowed herself to think of yet. The dog barking broke her reverie, bringing Jane back to the present instead of the future. "Maur, why is there a dog in the back of your car?"

"He's ours." She stroked down the back of his head, and Jane's vision tunneled as she focused on what the blonde was saying. "Well, mine, technically. But only because I wanted to surprise you, and you couldn't sign the paperwork." She looked at Jane then, who had finally approached the side of the vehicle. "If you don't want him, well, I guess… This is what I mean, I didn't think this…"

Jane cut her off, pressing their lips together in a searing kiss. She felt the blonde relax against her body, her hands grasping at Jane's waist as her anxiety melted away. Jane could feel her grin as she pulled away, meeting Maura's gorgeous hazel eyes. "I can't believe you got us a dog!"

Her smile was infectious, her apparent joy at pulling it off making Jane's stomach flip. "I did!" She rested her hands on Jane's shoulders. "It seemed important to you. Plus, now we get to care for something together." She accepted another kiss from Jane, cutting it off after a few moments to push away. "Don't you think we should let him out of my car?"

"Yes! Of course. And we should name him."

Opening the door, Maura let the pup down. He was tall, his back reaching Jane's knee, a large chest and ribcage leading to his much more narrow hips. But he was friendly, rushing right over to sit on Jane's feet, his tail wagging. "He came with a name. Brady."

"Wait, the Brady?" She knelt down to scratch at his chest. "The one I was looking at last night?"

"That's the one." Maura joined them on the floor of the garage, giving love to their new family member. "They tried to tell me he's a labradoodle."

Jane looked the short-haired, stocky, red pup up and down. "There is no doodle."

"I concur."

"I don't care." Glancing up, she let her eyes meet Maura's. "He's perfect, Maur."

But he wasn't. He hadn't been to any formal training, so he misbehaved. Leading to him stealing Maura's bagel off the table.

The blonde shook her head, knocking Jane's hands off her shoulders. "The name on the paperwork means nothing. He likes you most, so he's your dog."

This made Jane scoff, her head tilting as she studied Maura, her gaze drifting between her and the dog who watched from a safe distance. "What makes you say that?"

Maura pulled bowls down from the cabinet, her shoulders falling as she spoke. "You don't see how he gets when he hears you come home. The zooming around the island and barking until I answer him." She pressed her lips together as she glanced at him, avoiding Jane's gaze. "It shouldn't surprise me that he loves you so much. I get it." She lowered the heat on the stove, reducing their meal to a simmer. As she walked by the dog with their empty dinner bowls, she stopped to pat Brady on the head, her movements slow and soft. Everything she did with Brady was soft, it was the way Maura showed people and animals that she cared. Before Jane could point out the subtle wagging of the dog's tail at the contact, Maura whirled around, her face inquisitive as she met Jane's eye. "Did you have a favorite parent growing up?"

Jane looked between her and the dog once. Instead of answering, she studied her girlfriend's face, trying to piece whatever was going on in her head together. "Why?"

"I'm just trying to figure out which one of us our children will like more." She leaned against the door frame, her arms falling to her sides. "I never related much to either of my parents, at least not after the affair."

Jane watched the fingers of her free hand fidgeting. "I have to say, for me it was the same. Dad allowed us to learn at our own pace. He listened when I complained about Ma painting my bedroom pink without talking to me first. He was better at treating me like the kid I was instead of the kid Ma wanted me to be. I admired that." Jane shrugged, walking over to take the bowls from her distracted girlfriend. "Then he became an asshole, and I decided Ma was better." She placed the bowl on the table before turning back to face Maura. "So I guess they'll like one of us, until we become assholes in our old age, and then change their mind." She shrugged a smirk on her face, proud of her observation. But instead, Maura looked at her, disappointed, shaking her head.

"Jane, what is up with you?" Her words were short, the sound biting, making the corners of Jane's smirk fall. "Every time I talk about our future children, you deflect, make jokes, or try to distract me. Why? I'm here, trying in my own way, to tell you that I worry our kids won't like me, and all you can do is make jokes. I need to know what is going on."

Jane could feel her heart drop as Maura choked on her admission, and she moved forward out of instinct to comfort her. "Babe, how could you think like that?"

"No. I don't want to talk about me right now." She stepped forward, sitting at her place at the table, and gesturing for Jane to join her. "I can't figure you out. But I can tell that something is bothering you. So please, explain what's happening in your mind."

Jane joined her at the table, mind racing, trying to figure out where to begin. "I'm sorry. I'm trying to deflect using humor instead of being snappy. I guess it's not helping."

"It's not." At her words, Jane watched her deflate, her posture softening. "What's bothering you?"

Jane sat for a minute, trying to figure out the most concise way to describe what was going on in her head every time they talked about their future. "Maura, when you talk about our future kids, you talk about them like it's a given. You are so sure of their existence, I can see you picturing them in your mind." Her hands fell to her lap. "I admire it, I really do. And I'm glad you can see all of that. But in my experience, children aren't guaranteed."

It took Maura longer than she'd thought it would to realize what Jane was talking about, and the brunette could not look her in the eye to see the realization creep in. Her whispered, 'Oh," was all Jane needed to know that they were back in sync.

"So when you talk about our future children, I find myself excited at first, until my brain reminds me that it may not happen and that I may let you down." She looked up finally, meeting Maura's hazel eyes. "Maur, I don't want to let you down."

Maura's hand reached across the table for hers then, her smile sympathetic. "Jane, my love," she wiggled her fingers, refusing to speak until Jane's hand had joined hers. "You couldn't let me down." With those five words, Jane felt like Maura was picking back up the pieces of her heart and taping them back together. Despite biting it back, Jane felt a tear fall, and she swallowed back the rest as she squeezed Maura's hand in response. "I am aware that we could end up not pregnant. I am acutely aware that we can lose a baby at any time. I worry all the time about that and re-traumatizing you. But this is why I try to ask you what you want." With her other hand, she reached up, wiping the tear from Jane's cheek. "And I speak about our children with certainty because I know that they will exist. There are many ways for us to become parents without either of us carrying. We don't even have to use our own genetic material to become parents, my parents are living proof of that."

"Of course, I know that." She stroked Maura's fingers with her thumb. "Part of me would be happy to just let you do all the work. But then I don't want to put the burden of it all on you. And then I think back," she paused, swallowing, "I think back to all the milestones I missed. I think about what could have happened. I picture them in my mind sometimes, and I want it again. I want it with you, and that scares the shit out of me, Maura."

"I'm sorry."

"For what, for being excited? Don't be sorry, Maur." She offered a half-hearted smile, letting her head tilt to one side. "You've done nothing wrong."

Her girlfriend offered a reassuring grin back. "So how can I help? Do you want me to stop bringing it up?"

"Absolutely not. Most of the time, talking about our family makes you happy. I want more of that." Jane took a second to assess her feelings. "I think you just need to call me out when I'm deflecting. Just like this, so I recognize it and stop."

The blonde nodded, running her thumb over Jane's fingers. "I can do that."

Jane pulled away, inhaling sharply through her nose to clear it. "Good." She let out a breath. "So what is this nonsense about our kids not liking you?"

Maura let out a sigh, chuckling dismissively. "It's nothing."

"No, it's not, babe. A few minutes ago you were reeling." She raised an eyebrow and studied the Doctor who had leaned back in her chair. "Talk to me."

Maura heaved her shoulders up and down, her gaze looking off into the distance. "It's no secret that I haven't been well-liked in my life. You were kind of the first person to give me a chance." She chuckled, directing her gaze down to her hand in her lap. "The dog doesn't even seem to like me as much as he likes you."

"That's not true." At Maura's glare, Jane leaned forward, ready to plead her case. "Don't look at me in that tone of voice, Maura! It's not true." The phrase caught her off guard, making her giggle instead of glaring. "He loves you differently."

"How is that better?"

"He loves you for different reasons." Jane pointed to the door. "When I come home, I get him excited. I make him get a toy. I rile him up. So he acts crazy when I come to the door." She now pointed to Brady, who sat by Maura's side, leaned up against her chair. "But he knows you're different. Before you come home, he sits by the window and watches the cars. He knows it's you before he hears the garage door." She gestured back to the door. "And then he sits by the door, thumping his tail against the wall. He whines a little, but it never gets out of hand. When you come in, he puts his chin in the palm of your hand." She grinned as she watched Maura's face soften, the joy spreading as she understood what Jane was saying. "He knows that you love him softly, that you care for him differently than I do. He knows that if he comes up to me with a toy, I'll play, but if he goes to you he'll get scratches and hugs."

"So our children will do the same?"

"Probably. You'll be the one fixing all their boo-boos and singing them lullabies. I'll be the one slaying the monster in the closet and teaching them to wrestle." The blonde laughed then, choosing to ignore the wrestling comment. "They'll love us both. For different reasons, but the love will be the same."

Maura took in a breath, letting it out slowly, her shoulders relaxing as she did. "I really hope so." She turned to look at the stove. "They may love me less if I make a habit of burning dinner, though."

"Oh, that's a deal-breaker." Jane laughed as Maura stood, rushing to the stovetop to stir her creation.

While Maura figured out what was going on with dinner, Jane picked up Brady's red rubber toy and headed to the pantry. On the third shelf, they kept a jar of peanut butter and a box of plastic spoons. Scooping out a dollop, Jane started attempting to shove it into the hole on Brady's toy. When she was satisfied, she put the toy behind her back and walked into the kitchen.

Maura was pulling a bag of cauliflower rice out of the microwave when Jane tapped her on the shoulder. She turned around, eyebrows raised in anticipation, her free hand landing on Jane's waist. "What, love?"

"Do you want to know what will really make Brady love you?" The Doctor's eyebrows knitted together, but she nodded anyway. Jane slowly lowered herself down on one knee, careful to hide the toy behind her back.

"Jane, is this a trick again?"

"Maura," Jane started, trying to keep her face serious. She pulled out the toy, watching Maura's eyes roll as she backed up, laughing. "Can you give this to Brady for me?"

"You're impossible." But she took the toy, leaning down to press a tight kiss to Jane's lips before walking away.

After dinner, while Maura worked on her novel, Brady did not leave her side, the blonde reaching down every so often to stroke his side. Jane couldn't resist leaning down to whisper in her ear, "I told you so," before returning to the tests she had to grade. Maura swatted at her as she retreated, before returning her hand to the copper dog's head.