Chapter 26: Movie Night

A/N: Alright, you convinced me (clearly I'm so hard to convince, lol). Chapters 25 (previous chapter), 26 (this chapter), and 27 (next chapter) will all be posted today.

Jane: June, Present Day

Lunch had gone so late that Jane and Maura went directly to pick up the kids from school. On the way home, everyone agreed that they didn't feel like cooking, so Maura placed an order for Chinese to be delivered while Jane drove.

The food was delivered at the perfect time. They'd had enough time to get the kids cleaned up and the table set.

Jane handed Emma and Finn their drinks before sitting down at the table. Harper and Sophie were excitedly telling Maura about their school day while Emma and Finn argued over who got to read the next Magic Tree House book first. Jane just sat and listened to her family. It was loud as the kids continued to try to talk over each other, but honestly what Rizzoli family dinner wasn't, even if it was just their immediate family.

"Can we have a movie night tonight?" Emma asked through a mouthful of chicken and broccoli.

"Emma, don't talk with your mouth full," Jane said automatically. "I don't think a movie night is the best idea. You guys watched a lot of TV last weekend. What about a family game night?"

"But we wanted to show mommy and Sophie our home videos," Finn said matter-of-factly.

"Oh, I would love to see your home videos!" Maura said excitedly.

"Not helpful," Jane groaned, turning to give Maura a look of mock annoyance.

"No, it was not," Maura said contritely. "Sorry." Maura tried to apologize, but her smile undercut the genuineness of her statement.

Jane tried to keep a straight face, but she could still see the excitement written all over Maura's face, not to mention the kids' faces. Jane rolled her eyes and conceded, "Alright fine, but I get to pick which ones."

"Yay!" Emma and Finn cheered at the same time Maura said, "Deal!"

Without thinking, Maura placed a soft kiss on Jane's cheek as she stood to get a second helping. They both froze when they realized what had just happened, but none of the girls seemed to have noticed anything. They were talking excitedly amongst the four of them about how they should have a game night on Saturday, too.

Jane chanced a glance at Maura, who mouthed, "Sorry," before she turned to the counter where the food was.

The rest of dinner was lost in the torrent of conversations taking place. Maura did dishes and cleaned up the kitchen while Jane gave the girls baths and got them into their pajamas.

"You should go change into your pajamas, too," Emma said to Maura when they were back downstairs. Maura was still wearing her dress that she had worn all day. "We always do movie nights in our pajamas," she explained.

"Alright, well, I will go change," she said, giving Emma a huge smile.

"Good!" Emma said as she clapped her hands together and bounced on her toes, telegraphing her excitement.

"I'll pick the year and get it set up while you change," Jane, who had already changed, added.

"I'll be quick," Maura called back as she ran up the stairs and into the master bedroom.

By the time Maura returned, the girls were still deep in their negotiations about seating arrangements.

"Well, I can sit in between mama and mommy," Emma said, "and then Finn can…"

"No, that's not fair!" Finn retorted.

"Okay, stop," said Jane from her spot on the couch, which she had claimed first. "Here's how we're going to do this. Mommy sits next to me," Jane said as she pointed to the spot just to her right, and Maura followed her directions, taking her seat. Once Maura was seated, Jane continued, "Okay, now Sophie gets to pick."

"But…" Finn started.

"It's her first movie night with the whole family," Jane interjected, leaving no room for any of the kids to argue.

But Sophie looked terrified of having to make a decision that might potentially disappoint her sisters. When Jane realized her mistake, she tried a different tactic. "Noodle, do you want to decide with Harper, so that you don't have to pick all by yourself?"

Sophie nodded quickly. Sophie and Harper put their heads together, whispering conspiratorially to each other for a few minutes to the point that Emma and Finn's patience was being tested. Jane was enjoying watching both pairs of kids interact. Finn was leaning against the coffee table glaring impatiently at Harper and Sophie. Emma was twirling around the room as she tried to expel some of her energy.

"Okay, so," Harper said dramatically as though she was getting ready to announce the lottery numbers, causing Sophie to giggle behind her. "Me and Sophie are both going to sit on mommy's lap."

"Sophie and I," Maura automatically corrected, and Jane had to hide her snicker at the look on Harper's face. Correcting the kids' grammar was actually a habit that Jane had picked up from Maura over the years, so Harper was used to it. That didn't mean she would pass up an opportunity to mock annoyance.

"Note, I don't know if you'll both fit on mommy's lap," Jane tried to explain.

"No, it's okay," Maura said quickly. "Come here," she added to the girls as she held out her arms for them to climb onto her lap. Jane had to give Maura credit for her creativity. She was able to hold both girls on her lap with the help of a pillow propped up on her other side to keep Harper from falling.

Finn wasted no time claiming the spot on Jane's lap. Emma's face told Jane that she was considering complaining but had clearly decided she had had enough of this negotiation and would rather just sit next to Jane than continue the conversation.

Once all six of them were piled on the couch, Jane pulled the blanket from the back of the couch and laid it over their laps. She wrapped her arm around Emma's body, holding her close against her side, while her other arm wrapped around Finn's waist. She felt Maura, who had both arms around Sophie and Harper, snuggle closer into her side. Jane decided this might be her new favorite moment ever – something she had thought more than once over the past few days – but having all of them here, happy, and together…it didn't get better than that.

"The first few videos were split at Emma and Finn's birthday, but once they got to preschool and Harper was born, it made more sense to go by school year, so now I do them August through July for each year. This one is Harper's first birthday, Emma and Finn's fourth birthday, through summer. I figured you guys would like to see Emma and Finn around Harper and Sophie's age," Jane explained as she navigated to the video file on her Apple TV.

"So, you made these?" Maura asked.

"Yeah, sorta," Jane said. "Mainly I just look through all the videos from the year, and I get some from other family members. Then, I put together the best ones. It actually started because Nina made the first two for me for Christmas that year."

"That's so sweet," Maura said quietly.

"Yeah, okay, everyone ready?" Jane asked. When she heard everyone murmur their agreement, she pressed play and tossed the remote to the couch on Emma's other side.

The video started with Emma and Finn trying to help Angela and Constance decorate a cake for Harper's birthday. They were both covered in frosting and sprinkles.

"Who's that?" Sophie asked, pointing to the screen.

"That's me and Emma, silly," Finn answered.

"But you're so little," Sophie said in awe as she turned to look at Finn.

"We were three," Emma added. "We were your age."

Sophie's head kept flipping back and forth between the screen and her sisters sitting next to her. Eventually, she asked Finn because she was closer, "Which one are you?"

Finn looked at the screen. "Uhhh," she paused.

Jane laughed. "You can't tell which one is you, can you?" she teased.

"Can you?" Maura asked Jane.

"Yes, I know which one is which, but I want to see if they do."

Jane couldn't see Finn's face, but she could see Emma chewing on her bottom lip as she concentrated on the screen. Emma turned to Jane and an embarrassed smile crossed her face before she buried it against Jane's shoulder.

Jane laughed. "Finn is the one with the braid, and Emma is the one with the ponytail," she told Sophie, even though she knew everyone was listening.

The video switched to the next day, which was Harper's birthday party. Someone – probably Frankie based on the shakiness of the video – was filming Jane with Harper on her hip as she talked to the giggling girl, asking if she knew it was her birthday. The doorbell rang, and Jane, with Harper still on her hip, went to answer it with the camera following behind them.

Back in the present, Jane froze as she realized what the video she had chosen was about to show.

Maura: June, Present Day

Maura's heart swelled with love as she watched the kids and their family on the screen. It was especially fun to see Emma and Finn at Sophie and Harper's age; plus, a giggling, bubbly, excited one-year-old Harper was adorable.

She watched as Jane went to open the door, and she was expecting to see one of the Rizzolis, Vince and Kiki, or possibly one of her family members. However, she didn't recognize the woman on the other side of the door.

Maura had just been about to ask who the woman was, but her words caught in her throat when the woman stepped through the door and gave Jane a definitely-more-than-friendly kiss. Maura felt like a bucket of ice-water had just been dumped over her head.

Maura tried to calm the torrent of emotions that flooded her body. She had no reason to react at all, let alone to have a negative reaction. But that didn't stop the jealousy that burned her from the inside or the hurt that sent tears to cloud her vision. It was a bit ridiculous, she chastised herself internally. They had both been with other people. Jane had even told her that one of her exes had met the kids. But the truth was, Maura had always pictured those people to be men. Again, she knew that wasn't fair to Jane. Had they had an extended conversation about their dating life over the past seven years and Jane still didn't tell her that she had dated a woman or women, then, maybe Maura's reaction would be justified, but even then, she wasn't sure how much information Jane actually owed her about her previous romantic life. That point was moot though because they hadn't had a chance to have that conversation beyond what it meant for Harper and Sophie's biological fathers.

She was so lost in her own thoughts that she jumped slightly when Sophie asked, "Who's dat?"

"Mama's girlfriend," Emma answered matter-of-factly.

"Ex!" Jane let out a strangled cry. "Ex-girlfriend," she added more calmly, but Maura could still hear the discomfort in her voice.

"Yeah, before mommy," Finn interjected.

"What?" Jane and Maura both said at the same time, surprise evident in their voices.

Emma paused the video. Emma and Finn both looked between Maura and Jane, and they were clearly confused by Maura and Jane's reactions. Maura didn't know what to say, but it didn't seem like Jane knew either. Maura was avoiding making eye contact with Jane, but she could see Jane open and close her mouth out of the corner of her eye. Harper and Sophie were silent; their attention completely focused on the conversation.

"Mama likes boys and girls," Emma explained. "But she hasn't had any other girlfriends or boyfriends. She says she will never be able to love anyone as much as she loves you."

"Yeah, mama loves you like Uncle Frankie loves Aunt Nina," Finn added, turning in Jane's lap to look at Maura.

Maura finally looked at Jane, but Jane's head had whipped around to look at Emma. "You remember that?" she asked.

Emma narrowed her eyes at Jane. "Did I say something wrong?" she asked nervously.

"No, no, not at all," Jane said. "I just…" Jane trailed off as she looked at Maura. Maura gave Jane a small nod, and she hoped that Jane would be able to interpret her gesture; she hoped that Jane would know she was okay with whatever Jane wanted to tell the kids.

Jane took a deep breath and stood up, placing Finn back on the couch in her place. She sat on the coffee table so that she could face the girls.

"Neither of you said anything wrong," Jane said, looking directly at Emma and Finn. "I just didn't realize that you remembered that conversation." Maura made a mental note to ask Jane what conversation she was referring to later.

Jane glanced at Maura again before continuing, "But, uh, yeah, mommy's my girlfriend."

"And mama's mine," Maura interjected, looking down to see Sophie's reaction, but she just looked interested. "We were going to tell you guys soon, but it's new for us."

"This just happened," Jane said. "How did you guys know already?"

"What do you mean?" Finn asked. "You've told us like a million times that you love mommy."

"Like forever," Emma added dramatically, dragging out the word 'forever.'

"Yeah, but we weren't dating," Jane countered. "You know there are lots of kinds of love…" Jane started, but Emma cut her off.

"We know," Emma said. "You can love someone as family, like you love us or like we love nonna. You can love someone as a friend, like how we love Alyssa. Or you can love someone romantically." Emma put a lot of emphasis on the word romantically.

"Uncle Frankie loves Aunt Nina romantically, Nana loves Grandpa romantically, and you love mommy romantically," Finn said. Maura was impressed at how well Emma and Finn seemed to understand the concept of love.

"Yes, all that is true, but mommy and I haven't been dating this whole time. You know that, right?" Jane asked uncertainly.

"Well, not while she was gone," Emma said.

"Yeah, that's impossible," Finn added. "But before and after…"

"No, we weren't dating before, and we weren't dating when she and Sophie first got here," Jane said.

"But we live here," Sophie spoke up.

"Well, yes, the four of you are sisters regardless of my and mama's relationship," Maura said. "And we are both your moms independent of whether we're dating. Nothing has changed with regards to who either of us are to any of you, and nothing will ever change."

"Okay, but…I'm comfoosed," Sophie whined.

Jane glanced at Harper, whom Maura had expected to say something well before now.

"Chris's mommy and daddy don't live together anymore," Harper pointed out. "They are both still his mommy and daddy and they both still love him, but they don't love each other anymore so they don't live together."

"Right," Jane said slowly, and Maura could tell that Jane was just as unsure as she was about where Harper was going with this.

"So doesn't that mean that mommies or mommies and daddies that live together love each other, but mommies and daddies that don't live together don't love each other?" Harper asked.

Maura had a moment of understanding. She hadn't realized how confusing it might be for the kids for them to live together if they weren't a couple.

"All families are different," Jane said. "It's also possible for parents who love each other not to live together or for parents who love each other as family but not romantically to live together. When mommy and Sophie first came home, we wanted to do what was best for the four of you, and we thought that you guys should get to live together because you're sisters. We didn't make that decision based on our relationship to each other."

"Oh," Emma said. "But you do love each other romantically?"

"Well, yes," Jane said.

"And you're dating?" Finn confirmed, pointing her finger back and forth between Jane and Maura.

"Yes, but only since Wednesday," Jane replied.

"Are you gonna get married?" Harper asked excitedly.

Maura glanced at Jane. They hadn't talked about what to tell the kids about their relationship at all, let alone in the future. But, she wanted to answer this question truthfully, and she had to just hope Jane was okay with that.

"Someday, yes," Maura said. "But we're going to have lots of conversations as a family before we get to that point, okay? What's most important though is that you all know how much we love you guys and that we will love you no matter what. Our love for you guys isn't dependent on our relationship to each other. We will love you whether we're dating or married or even if something happens and we can't be together."

"Wait, what?" Finn said quickly, and the fear in her voice caught Maura off-guard.

Jane seemed to understand right away, though. "Finn, baby, she's not saying that something's going to happen, okay? You don't need to worry. We've talked about this before. No one can control the future, but I promise you…and I know mommy does too…but I promise you that we will do everything in our power to keep our family together and safe."

Finn nodded, but the look on her face broke Maura's heart. She had meant to reassure the kids, but instead, the simple phrase of 'if something happens and we can't be together' clearly triggered deep-seated fears. This wasn't exactly surprising given their family history, but it didn't stop Maura from wanting to take back her words – to protect the kids from the harsh realities of the world. It was clear, though, that this wasn't a topic Jane had shied away from with the kids, and it was likely something Maura would need to get used to talking about, too.

After glancing around at the girls, Jane stood up and picked Finn back up before returning to her seat on the couch. "Why don't we finish the video?" she suggested. "We can talk more about this tomorrow if you guys want, but I think you've had enough for tonight."

"'Kay," Emma said as she picked up the remote to restart the paused video, but Maura could see how tightly Finn was holding Jane's hand against her chest. She also felt Harper and Sophie snuggle closer to her.

No one said much throughout the rest of the video. Every once and a while, one of the girls would comment on something happening on screen or ask Jane to identify which kid was Emma or Finn. The kids seemed to be acting normal as they went through their bedtime routines, but Maura couldn't help keeping a close eye to see if any of them were hiding their distress.

A/N: I saw a meme on Facebook about fanfic writers, and it was SO true for me. I don't remember it word-for-word, but it was something like:

Me: I write for myself.

Also me: ALL THE COMMENTS! ALL THE FOLLOWS! ALL THE FAVORITES!

So yeah, as much as I do write for myself (it's a good stress-reliever), I also do it for you guys. And I LOVE you guys! This chapter brings this story across the 100k mark (excluding author's note), and I'm SO EXCITED! The fact that you guys are enjoying this story means so much to me, so thank you. Thank you for reading, thank you for following, and thank you for commenting!