Chapter 39: It's About Time

A/N: Just a small chapter to tide you over while I try to get through this crappy week. 😊

NSFW

Maura: June, Present Day

Maura was still riding her high from their trip to the museum when the weekend came around. They had survived a family trip to Target and the grocery store on Friday. Both Emma and Finn seemed to be opening up more to Maura. Finn even showed Maura a t-shirt at Target that said, "Go Science!" which Maura promptly suggested all four girls should get (and they did).

They had spent almost the entire day outside on Saturday, first at the park, then at home playing in the backyard. It had truly been one of the best weeks in Maura's entire life.

Harper and Sophie were napping while Emma and Finn were having quiet reading time in their bedroom early Sunday afternoon. Jane and Maura had spent the last hour and a half cleaning, but the house was finally ready for Rizzoli Sunday Dinner. They knew they had about 30 minutes before Harper and Sophie woke up from their naps and the chaos would start all over again, so they were now sitting together on the couch together.

"How are you feeling?" Jane asked tentatively.

Maura tilted her head as she turned on the couch to better face Jane. She rested her head on her hand with her elbow propped on the back of the couch and tucked her legs underneath her body. Jane unconsciously turned more towards her as well.

"It's been a wonderful week," Maura said honestly, a small smile tugging at her lips. "Honestly, it's been a wonderful two weeks. I can't believe that we've been here for two weeks. At the same time, I can't believe that it's only been two weeks," she added with a light laugh. Maura shook her head lightly in disbelief. "I thought about coming home so many times over the years, but I never imagined it would be like this."

"I hope that's a good thing," Jane interjected quietly.

Maura laughed. "It is…very much so," she replied. "I was assigned a therapist while I was in the program. I can't remember if I already told you that. We had a couple of extra sessions during the three weeks between when I found out I could leave the program and when I got home. We talked about a few different things, such as trying to process that my life was no longer under threat, but we spent most of the time talking about various potential scenarios for what my return might be like. We talked a bit about the worst-case scenarios – if something had happened to either of the girls or you – but we focused more on the various possibilities assuming that all three of you were alive and healthy. She had me talk through what I thought was the best-case scenario, the worst-case scenario within that context, and the most likely scenario."

"What were they?" Jane asked. "I mean, only if you want to tell me…"

"I wouldn't have brought it up if I wasn't planning on telling you," Maura said with a small chuckle. "But to be honest, I couldn't come up with just one possibility in each category. Essentially, I came up with a best-case, worst-case, and most likely scenario for three different situations: your life and reaction to my return, the girls' lives and reactions to my return, and everyone else's lives and reactions to my return. That's not to say that the three situations weren't significantly intertwined. Obviously, how you felt about it would affect how the girls felt about it, and…"

"Maur, you're rambling," Jane cut in gently.

"Right, sorry," Maura instantly apologized. "Well, obviously, I knew the girls the least, so the worst-case scenario was that they knew I was their biological mother. But they wanted nothing to do with me, and they hated me for abandoning them. It felt possible for a brief moment after each of them yelled at me, but overall, I know that they don't feel that way. The most likely scenario, at least in my mind, was that they knew that I was their biological mother and that they were adopted, but otherwise I didn't expect that they would know much about me, nor did they really care since they had a happy loving family. And that would have been okay – good even – because all I ever really wanted was for them to be loved and know they were loved. The best-case scenario was pretty much the same except that they also wanted to know me."

Jane smiled. "Which is what happened," she added, but her face fell for a moment when Maura shook her head.

"No, Jane," she said with a smirk. "What actually happened was so much more – so much better, and that was all because of you. Yes, they were happy, healthy, and loved. They knew how much they were loved, and they also wanted to know me. That was all true, but it was more than that because you made sure they knew how much I loved and wanted them. You kept me a part of their lives even when I wasn't here, and that means more to me than I can ever explain."

"They deserved to know, and you deserved to not be forgotten," Jane said quietly. "I knew you well enough to know that you loved them and wanted what was best for them no matter what."

Maura nodded but otherwise didn't say anything – she didn't know what to say.

"Okay, what was your worst-case scenario for me?" Jane asked, and Maura could tell she was especially curious about this part.

"That you would slam the door in my face and refuse to talk to me," Maura said quietly. "That you hated me."

Jane's shoulders fell and her head tilted to the side in sympathy as Maura's words hit her. "Maura, I would never do that," she said sadly. "I hate that you thought I wouldn't at least talk to you."

Maura shook her head. "It wasn't a likely scenario in my mind by any means," Maura continued. "I didn't really think that would happen, but I did have to recognize that it was possible. I gave you a life-long responsibility without your consent. It wouldn't be unreasonable for you to hate me and resent me, but I didn't think it was likely."

"You gave me two of the best things that have ever happened to me."

Maura nodded. "I really didn't think it was likely," she tried to assure Jane. "I think the most likely worst-case scenario for me was that you had completely moved on, which makes me a terrible best-friend," she added, dropping her gaze to her lap.

Jane reached out and lifted Maura's chin with two fingers. When Maura was looking at her again, Jane said, "I could never forget you, Maura. Never."

"I didn't think you would forget me, necessarily. But it had been nearly seven years. I figured you had probably met someone and that you had a family, which is what I should have wanted for you," Maura said, her voice thick with unshed tears. "I did want you to be happy. I really did. I just selfishly worried about what that meant for us, and I don't necessarily even mean romantically. More than anything, I just wanted my best friend back, and I was terrified that too much time had passed. I was sure that we had moved in two very different directions. And I know…I know that's what I should have wanted for you – not that you wouldn't want to be friends, but that you had friends and family and were happy. I wondered if we would be like a divorced couple. Not necessarily transporting the kids back and forth. I never intended to try to take them from you, even partially. I just meant like a divorced couple in that we remained a part of each other's lives because of the kids not because of each other."

Maura paused and brought her hand up to wipe away the tears that had managed to escape.

"I never stopped missing you," Jane said earnestly. "I never stopped wanting you to come back."

"And I know that now, but we were talking about the hypothetical potential outcomes that I had discussed with my therapist."

"I know, but I'll never stop telling you," Jane replied with a smirk.

Maura let out a soft laugh. "But once again, you far exceeded what I thought was the best-case scenario," Maura continued.

"Which was?"

"That you would be willing to try to be friends again, maybe even more eventually, but I thought it would take months, if not years, to get back to some semblance of where we were before I left. I expected a lot of awkward, forced conversations. I thought I would feel like an outsider in your life. I did not expect you to open your arms, your home, and your heart to me almost instantly. I expected you to be guarded."

"I get that," Jane said with a sigh. "I've never been the most open person."

Maura shrugged. "You've been hurt more than anyone deserves, especially you, so no one could blame you for being guarded. Still, you didn't hesitate to let me or Sophie in, and for that I will be forever grateful," Maura said quietly as she moved closer to Jane on the couch.

"Yeah, well…" Jane said with a smirk, "…you've always been different." Maura smiled at the slight blush that overtook Jane's face and chest.

"And you've always been my home," Maura added before she leaned in for a kiss.

"I'm so happy you're home," Jane mumbled against Maura's lips in between kisses as she pulled the other woman closer.

"Not as happy as I am to be home," Maura added as she reluctantly pulled away – the kids were just upstairs.

Jane groaned as Maura pulled away, but she didn't stop her. She took a deep breath to gather herself before continuing, "So I was wondering how you were feeling about seeing everyone. Is it still too overwhelming? If not, I was thinking maybe we should have a 4th of July party. We could invite family and friends, including some you haven't seen yet like Susie."

"I think that's a wonderful idea," Maura said, her smile brightening. "We should let the family know tonight. Then, we can figure out everyone else we want to invite. I would very much like to see Susie. We should invite Kent and Chris as well. Kent has been very kind, and I haven't had a chance to thank him properly."

"For sure," Jane said. "We usually invite Tim and his family and Jose. Tim and Jose are Frankie's partners," Jane added in response to the confused expression on Maura's face. "Maybe the kids could invite some of their friends, too."

Maura nodded. "Yes, that's a good idea," she replied.

"What day of the week is the fourth of July? Should we actually have the party on the Saturday closest to the 4th?" Jane asked.

Maura thought for a second, mentally calculating the day of the week. "The 4th is on a Tuesday, so that's probably a good idea," she said.

Jane sniggered. "I missed having my own personal google," she quipped, causing Maura to blush slightly along with her smile. "Okay, so Saturday, July 1st? Maybe 3pm? We could grill. We can usually see fireworks somewhere at dusk without leaving the house, so we could plan for people to stay late for that too."

"Oh, I'm looking forward to this," Maura said, clapping her hands together in excitement just as they heard Sophie and Harper calling from upstairs.

A little over an hour later, the house was full to bursting with people. Maura hadn't thought it was possible for Rizzoli family dinners to get louder than they had been before she left, but she had underestimated how loud kids could be. It was loud, and chaotic, and the complete opposite of every family event she had been to as a child – and she loved every minute of it.

The kids were running in and out the back door – sometimes forgetting to close it behind them – and the adults were all standing around the kitchen talking as the lasagna cooked in the oven. Frankie was telling everyone a story from their latest case. Apparently, the suspect had hoped that the detectives wouldn't want to tackle him in the nude, so he stripped naked before they caught up with him. They ended up chasing him through the streets in broad daylight without a stitch of clothing on him until Jose finally tackled him. It was already a funny story, but the way Frankie told it – especially with regards to Jose's reactions to tackling a 225-pound naked man – made it even funnier.

Maura found herself leaning into Jane's side as she tried to catch her breath from laughing so hard. Jane unconsciously wrapped her arm around Maura's waist to keep her standing and pulled her close. When she could finally stand on her own again, Maura slipped her own arm around Jane's waist in response. Maura noticed Nina glance over at them, but she didn't think anything of it at the time.

They stayed like that, leaning against one another, as the conversation moved on. It wasn't until the room fell completely silent when Maura and Jane shared a kiss that Maura realized that they hadn't yet told Jane's family that they were together.

Maura felt her face grow hot as she looked around at everyone staring at them. Her arm dropped from around Jane's waist as she brought her arms forward and crossed them protectively in front of her chest, but she didn't move away from Jane, and Jane didn't release her grip on Maura.

Clearly, Jane didn't understand the sudden silence in the room. Maura could hear the confusion in her voice when she asked, "What?"

It was Tommy who finally broke the silence. "Finally!" he exclaimed dramatically, and he sounded so much like Jane that some of the tension Maura was feeling melted away as she chuckled lightly.

Maura turned to look at Jane, who still looked thoroughly confused.

"This is how you decide to tell us?" Angela asked quickly, but she didn't wait for an answer before she continued. "How long have you been together? Do the girls know? Are you getting married? Why didn't you say something? Or did it just happen?"

Frankie just laughed at the look on his sister's face – at least until he got an elbow in his side from Nina.

Maura looked back and forth between Jane and Angela. Jane's mouth was opening and closing as she tried to process her mother's questions.

"I thought you knew," Jane said in disbelief, finally letting go of Maura in order to use her hands to talk.

"How would we know if neither of you told us?" Angela asked quickly.

Jane glanced at Maura briefly before focusing her attention back on her mother. "I don't…I guess I thought everyone would have figured it out last weekend. We weren't hiding anything. At the party last weekend, I know we were holding hands and I know that I at least kissed Maura on the cheek."

"Yeah, but you guys have always been like that," Frankie said matter-of-factly. "You've always been all up in each other's personal space, even before…" Frankie trailed off as he waved his hand in the air.

"He's right about that," Tommy interjected with a laugh.

Jane rolled her eyes. "Okay, fine," she acquiesced. "But seriously, we weren't trying to keep anything from you guys. I just thought you'd figured it out, and that you'd ask if you had questions. I guess I overestimated your detective skills," she quipped, smirking at Frankie.

"Psht," Frankie scoffed. "Yeah, we've all known the two of you were basically married; you just refused to admit it."

Maura couldn't help but giggle at Frankie's comment – he wasn't wrong.

"You still haven't answered my questions," Angela interjected, never one to be ignored.

Maura thought back to Angela's initial questions, answering them in order, "Well, we thought you already knew, so no this isn't how we planned to tell you. We've been together since last Wednesday, so a little over a week and a half. Yes, the girls know, and…"

Jane laughed. "Actually, they thought we were together before we actually were," Jane cut in, "so I guess you guys might have a point."

"Also, we're not engaged now," Maura added, wanting to answer one more of Angela's questions, "but I think we both agree that that is the eventual plan. We would like to get reacquainted with one another more before we get to that point."

Angela shrugged. "I can live with that," she teased as she opened her arms and walked towards Jane and Maura. "Oh, I'm so happy my girls are finally together," she said as she pulled both of them into a tight hug.

"Thank you, Angela," Maura replied as she returned the hug. "I'm sorry we didn't tell you all in a more official way," she added to the room at large. "We didn't intend to mislead you."

Nina waved her hand in the air as she too came forward for a hug. "Seriously, don't worry about it. It's not like you guys didn't have anything going on," she teased as she hugged Maura, then Jane in turn. She was immediately followed by Kiki, who offered her congratulations as well. Frankie, Tommy, and Vince didn't say much in front of the group, but Maura noticed that all three of them gave Jane and herself a hug and congratulations at some point throughout the evening.

The rest of the evening passed much like any other Rizzoli family event. Jane and Maura made sure to tell everyone about the 4th of July party, and Angela instantly began planning the menu and assigning everyone something to bring.

All-in-all it was a lovely evening, but Maura was exhausted by the time the last person – Angela – left that evening. The kids were already in bed, having completed their baths and bedtime routines while Angela and Kiki cleaned downstairs. Maura and Jane decided that it was a good night to get ready for bed early and just enjoy the time together in comfort, so they too completed their bedtime routines and were in bed by 9:30pm.

However, when Jane pulled her in for a passionate kiss, Maura's exhaustion was quickly replaced by arousal. Maura gripped needily at Jane's t-shirt as she tried to get closer to the other woman. When Jane slipped her hand under Maura's camisole and ran it up the length of her back, a shiver ran through Maura's entire body, causing her to gasp. Jane took advantage of the parting of Maura's lips to slip her tongue into Maura's mouth. Maura responded by sucking gently on Jane's tongue, drawing a moan from deep within Jane. Maura smiled at Jane's reaction, and they continued to make-out, their tongues engaging in a gentle push-and-pull.

Maura's body continued to heat up as Jane's hands sought every inch of skin she could touch. She let out a moan of her own when Jane's hand slipped lower to cup her ass over her silk pajama shorts. They were both still lying on their sides, face-to-face, but that didn't stop Maura from hooking her leg over Jane's hip. Maura's hips bucked forcefully as her center made contact with Jane's pelvis.

Jane quickly rolled Maura onto her back and settled between her legs, her hands moving to slip Maura's camisole over her head. She dropped it to the floor as Maura's hands found the hem of Jane's t-shirt and quickly removed it. Maura's legs wrapped around Jane's body as their naked chests pressed against each other. They both moaned loudly as sensitive breasts brushed against each other. Hands roamed over newly exposed skin as they continued their passionate kisses.

Maura's hips jerked involuntarily against Jane when Jane started kissing down her jawline, paused to nibble on her ear, and continued down her neck. Jane returned the thrust and the started moving together, their hips finding a slow but pleasurable rhythm. Maura gasped when Jane sucked gently on her pulse point. She brought her hands up to cup Jane's face and pulled her into another bruising kiss.

Jane pulled away slowly, tugging gently on Maura's bottom lip as she went. Maura groaned at the loss of contact, but her eyes fluttered shut and her head dropped back against the pillow when Jane slowly began sliding her shorts and panties down her legs. She could feel the goosebumps that followed the teasingly soft touch of Jane's fingers along her legs. Jane quickly removed her own pants and underwear before she started kissing up the inside of Maura's legs, starting at her ankle, moving up her calf, and continuing along the sensitive skin on the inside of her thighs. Maura's legs parted even more as Jane got close to her center, and she groaned in frustration when Jane skipped where she wanted her most and moved to provide the same treatment up her other leg.

Maura's hands gripped the sheets in anticipation, as Jane slowly moved up her body. When Jane got back near her center, Maura thought she was finally going to get some relief, but she was wrong. "Jaannneee!" she whined when Jane's lips moved to her hips. Her entire body jerked in response to the chuckle Jane let out millimeters from her skin. Maura's eyes slammed shut and she squirmed beneath Jane as Jane's warm mouth wrapped around her right breast. "Fuck!" she gasped out, trying to stay as quiet as possible, when Jane bit down softly on her pebbled nipple. Jane ran her tongue soothingly around her nipple, moving from tight small circles to larger circles as she licked and sucked Maura's entire breast.

When Jane kissed across the valley between her breasts and wrapped her lips around her left breast, Maura's hands flew to Jane's hair. She threaded her fingers into the messy curls as she pressed her chest forward, pushing her breast as deep as possible into Jane's mouth. Jane continued her ministrations as her left hand trailed down Maura's abdomen, enjoying the twitches of Maura's abdominal muscles that followed in the wake of her fingers.

Maura cried out loudly when Jane's fingers finally, mercifully found her swollen clit. "Shhh!" Jane whispered with a laugh as she captured Maura's lips with her own. Maura moved her hands so that she was gripping Jane's neck with her right hand and her shoulder with her left hand. Their kisses became sloppier as Jane picked up the pace of her fingers. Jane kept her mouth pressed against Maura's in an attempt to suppress her increasingly loud moans as Jane drove her higher and higher.

Maura ripped her face away from Jane's when Jane thrust two fingers deep inside of her without removing her thumb from Maura's clit. Maura wrapped her legs around Jane once again in an attempt to draw Jane's fingers deeper inside. Her ankles hooked behind Jane's back, giving Maura leverage to thrust hard and fast against Jane. Jane's fingers continued to move in time with Maura's hips. Maura bit down hard on her bottom lip to keep herself from crying out again as they moved together. Maura's entire body was trembling with the exertion as she started to lose control of her movements. Her thrusts became faster and sloppier as she sought out her climax.

When Jane inserted a third finger in time with a particularly hard press against her clit, Maura's entire body froze as her orgasm hit her like a freight train. Every muscle in her body spasmed and contracted as she rode wave after wave of pleasure. A few rogue tears escaped from the corners of her eyes before the tension in her body released almost as quickly as it came, and she collapsed against the bed. Her hands and legs released their death grip on Jane, but her body continued to twitch as the aftershocks of her orgasm hit her every so often.

It took her a few moments to return to her body. When she did, she felt Jane pressed to her side, resting half her weight on top of Maura. Maura turned her face to find Jane's, and their lips met in a slow loving kiss. It didn't last as long as Maura wanted, though, as Maura had to pull back to catch her breath. Her heartrate was still racing as she slowly regained control of her body.

As her heartrate slowed, her breathing regulated, and her body cooled, Maura could feel sleep trying to pull her under. She half-heartedly protested when Jane reached down to pull the sheet over them. She wanted to make Jane feel as good as she had just made Maura feel, but Maura wasn't sure if she had enough energy.

"Tomorrow, love," Jane whispered as she settled back against Maura. "We have the rest of our lives to love each other."

"But…" Maura tried one more time as she fought the sleep that was trying to overtake her.

"I love you," was Jane's only reply as she leaned up for one last kiss before she rested her head on Maura's chest and draped her arm and leg over Maura's body.

"I love y…" Maura started, but before she could get the words out, sleep claimed her.

A/N: I've outlined the rest of the story, and it looks like there will be over 80 chapters total (way longer than I originally thought!). Don't hold me to that number exactly because some may end up being split into two and/or some may be combined, but right now that covers the overall "arc" of the story.