AN: Sorry guys, I'm still busy with university. Started my internship last week and try to write some papers and other stuff after work. But here comes the runion with the family. This story is going to be not much longer. Maybe one or two chapters. I haven't forgotten about fly with me. But I'm lacking kind of the energy to be creative to write the next chapters there lol. But there will be more, I promise. Thank you for being so patient
Jane was shuffling her feet nervously. Lucy and Clementine were sitting close to each other and chatting and laughing lightly. She glanced up when Maura approached her with two cups of steaming coffee. Her lean figure was leaning against the railing with her back to the plane which they would board soon. She smiled gratefully and took another deep breath. They were about to fly to Boston, to tell her family that she wasn't dead.
Maura had called earlier that week to announce a visit from her and Clementine. She didn't speak the unbelievable and Jane wondered if it wouldn't have been easier to warn her mother. She was scared to cause Angela a heart attack by appearing out of the dark.
They would undig the dead so to speak and she was nervous and anxious. It was Sunday. They would arrive in time for family dinner. It was thanksgiving so it was a special one. Jane had joked about Maura wrapping her up in gift paper and handing her to Angela. One of the many stupid jokes, that came out of her nervousness.
Maura silently put a hand onto her arm and cocked her head. "Just breathe Jane." She said calmly and Jane nodded.
Four hours later, they pulled up in Maura's car at her parents' house. Lucy was nervous as hell because she was finally going to meet her grandma and uncles. Jane felt like throwing up and found all the breathing exercises useless when someone knocked onto the window of the car. "Maur, good to see you, you…" Frankie silenced glancing into piercing brown eyes that were scared and teary. He took a few steps back in shock. Then he grabbed the side of the car to steady himself.
"Jane!" he whispered as if seeing a ghost. His hand reached through the open window into the car and pinched her. "Ouch!" Jane exclaimed and Frankie chuckled. "It's really you." He sounded mesmerized. "You are alive." He was flabbergasted. A head appeared behind him and Jane recognized Nina. "What is it? Is everything okay with Maura?" she asked and hitched a deep breath when seeing Jane. Jane hitched a deep breath in return when seeing a toddler with dangling feet in Nina's arms.
"Yes, fine! Can I please get out of the car? I'm getting a bit claustrophobic with all of you guys peeping in." Jane said and everybody laughed at her antics. Or maybe because she hadn't changed, and they were relieved to have her back.
Frankie and Nina moved, and Jane opened the door. Maura and Clementine were watching the scene, when another door opened, and when Lucy shyly stepped out of the car all hell broke loose. The similarities between mother and daughter were striking or rather hitting one like a hammer onto the head. Frankie just stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Jane as if still unable to believe that it was really her. And that she was really alive.
"Yeah, yeah I get it. It's enough." She scoffed playfully and silently blinked back some tears. Frankie stopped when seeing the door of the house fly open. Jane braced herself for seeing her mother again, afraid of her reaction.
"What are you up to out there? Dinner is almost ready." Angela sounded annoyed. Jane grabbed Lucy's hand and stepped out of the crowd towards the matriarch.
Jane was surprised when Angela wasn't surprised to see her. But she noticed that Angela's jaw dropped when noticing Lucy. The matriarch slowly walked towards them. "Ma? I'd like you to meet Lucy, my daughter. Lucy this is your grandma." Jane tried to sound cool, and Angela looked as if she had gone crazy. But when she saw Frankie nodding, she just wrapped her arms around both raven colored hair women in front of her and cried.
"This is the best Thanksgiving ever!" she exclaimed and called for Tommy. Lucy glanced at her mother whose eyes were filled with tears. Jane nodded at her. "Welcome to the Rizzolis baby!" Jane said and Lucy chuckled for the first time not scoffing at her pet name. Frankie had already snuck up from behind and was nudging and teasing Jane. Lucy watched in fascination how Jane teased him back and how two adults became total teenagers in front of her eyes.
She loved the family already and giggled when Frankie turned to tickle her. "Uncle Frankie…!" she huffed enjoying being able to finally call him like it. Clementine had been right. The Rizzoli's were loud and loved to tease and to laugh.
Jane kept a close eye on her to make sure that she was fine. The brunette could only imagine how overwhelming it must be for Lucy to finally meet her family. But when she saw that Lucy was doing fine and laughing and joking with her brothers she relaxed.
Angela had disappeared into the kitchen and Jane snuck out of the room to talk to her. Assuming that her mother was angry she stood in the kitchen, searching for words while glancing at Angelas back.
"I'm sorry." She slowly said, rubbing her wet palms against the sides of her jeans. When Angela didn't turn, she got scared. "I had to…" she began and stopped when her mother finally moved to face her.
"I…" Jane was at a loss of words when the matriarch stepped closer to pull her into a hug. "You have no idea how much I wanted to do that at the graveyard." She whispered and Jane swallowed hard. Never once had it occurred to her that her mother could have possibly recognized her. Although it made sense, seeing how Maura had recognized her in the supermarket.
"You knew?" Jane asked flabbergasted and heard a soft chuckle from her mother.
"A mother recognizes her child. Although I was confused by your appearance. At first, I thought that you had left us because you were to scared to tell us that you… well…. I thought you wanted to be a man." Angela blushed as did Jane.
"But then I figured that you might have had to disappear because of your job. And I was just glad to see that you're alive." The matriarch reasoned. Jane tried to hold back some tears that had been threatening to fall since arriving at the airport.
"I'm really sorry ma." She apologized again, not knowing what else to say. They hugged for a long while until a smell of burning dinner filled the room. Angela rushed to the stove and began stirring wildly before pulling the pots away from the heat.
"Its okay. I told no one!" she said and glanced at Jane who was rubbing her head. "Can I explain it later?" the brunette asked, and Angela nodded. "Of course." That was a big step for her very curious mother, Jane thought. She smiled and her smile got returned.
Jane was glad when her mother pulled her into another hug. "I love you Janie." Angela said and Jane said that she loved her too. "It's good to have you back. And it's nice to meet your daughter. I can't believe how grown-up the girl is."
They chuckled when Jane rolled her eyes. "She's a great girl." Jane said proudly and Angela smiled. "I'm sure she is. Just like you. You are so similar to each other." Thinking of Lucy made Jane muster up some courage. "Ma" she said, and Angela looked at her. "I'm gay. And I'm in love with Maura." Angela nodded wistfully. "I always hoped that you girls would come to your senses and get together one day." Jane was surprised. Angela waved Janes but of and pushed the soup into her daughter's hand. "We are going to talk later." She winked and Jane nodded. "Yes." She said and kissed her mother on the cheek. Later…
Once Jane returned into the dining room, she found Lucy and Clementine joking with Frankie and Tommy. They had easily fallen into the banter and laughed loudly. Jane's heart melted when she saw her girl being so happy. She nudged Lucy softly and winked at her. Maura gave her a knowing smile.
It was only half an hour later, when the family had settled into the living room when Korsak and Frost walked into the house. Being considered as family they had always been welcome. Jane mused that Frankie had texted them and now they were coming to see with their own eyes.
Both were discussing loudly who was to give Jane some gift and stopped in their tracks when rounding the corner and seeing the brunette.
A smile spilt Korsaks face and he was the first to move and hug her. Frost seemed to be a bit shy, fidgeting with is belt as he came close. Jane apologized, hearing "Its not your fault" for the hundredth of time. Yet she kept feeling as if it had been her fault. She knew that she had caused them all so much pain. Of course, it had been painful for her as well. She had missed them all terribly and felt so happy to see them again that she felt some silent tears rolling down her cheeks.
Lucy who was sitting next to her, gently squeezed her hand. And Jane smiled at her. Jane shot her a crooked smile back and they quickly squeezed each other's hand before letting go. Maura's hand came to rest on Janes knees and Jane was so incredibly grateful for all these people who loved her so much.
She could feel how Lucy loved the family and bloomed amid the uncles and their teasing's. She also bloomed in Clementine's company. Jane glanced at her silently and just felt proud.
It was almost midnight, when Maura, Jane and the two girls returned to beacon hill. Jane was glad, that Maura had decided to keep the house to which she had once possessed a key. It had actually been more of a home to her than her own apartment.
Jane noticed how nothing had changed since the last time she had been here. Even the smell was the same. A smile spread over her face when she noticed the picture which was held by a magnet on the fridge. It showed her and Maura making faces in the docs office.
It wasn't hard to remember these low days when Jane used to go down to the morgue to chat with Maura. She even remember how they had teased each other about dinner, dates and food. How strange, Jane thought when walking down that memory lane. In hindsight she'd almost say that Maura had hinted that she wanted to go out with Jane. But Jane had interpreted it as their usual way to interact.
Now though, she saw some frustration in Mauras behavior, when remembering Maura saying that she loved Jane. The brunette slightly cringed when recalling how she had interpreted the whole thing as a friends love.
Regret settled over her like a dark cloud. But would it have changed anything on the past 18 years? Jane didn't know and exhaled loudly, shoving her hands deep into the pocket of her jeans while glancing at the stars.
Paddy Doyle was probably somewhere up there she though and shuddered. But he was gone. Up there meant that he couldn't harm her any more and that was all she needed to know. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist and smiled.
"I love you." Maura whispered and pulled Janes back against her front.
"I love you too." Jane chuckled softly, resting her hands on Maura's on her stomach. "Are the girls in bed?" she asked and felt Maura tilting her head. "First, they want to take a bath. And then …. Well… maybe they'll go to bed them. I can see that they are exhausted but I'm afraid that they are going to fight sleep as long as possible." The docs laughter was apologetical and soft.
Jane scoffed. "Damn teenagers." She joked and made Maura laugh even more and harder.
"Is there a specific reason why you want them to sleep?" Maura purred with her mouth close to Janes ears. Jane smiled. "Maybe…." Her voice was darker than usual. Her desire to kiss Maura and make her happy in other departments had grown over the past week. Yet they had held each other back because they had felt like they needed a bit of time.
The time seemed to be right now, and Jane turned in Maura's arms. "They are grown-up anyways. As long as we don't get too vocal." She whispered and caught a soft moan with her lips when her hands began to explore Maura's back.