Chapter 9: The Future
Booth and Brennan's Home, Arlington, VA: 5:15pm
"Come in, come in," Agent Booth said jovially.
Isla and Theo ran into the house without waiting for Jane or Maura. Maura could see a number of other kids gathered in the family room to the right of the front door.
"We brought wine," Maura said shyly, handing Booth the bottle of wine she was carrying. She was very nervous for tonight, no matter how many times Jane tried to reassure her. Booth and Brennan had invited the four of them, as well as the rest of their group of friends over to their house for dinner and a relaxed evening. Over the past few days, Maura had interacted with them fine since they had been so focused on the case, but now, Maura was going to spend the evening with people who knew Jane and the kids really well. Maura wanted these people to like her in a way she hadn't cared about in a very long time.
"Thanks!" Booth replied as he led them into the house. Dr. Brennan and Angela were in the kitchen while agent Aubrey and Dr. Hodgins were by the bar. "Cam and Arastoo are still on their way, but they should be here soon. Dinner's ready, though, so we thought maybe we could get the kids started."
"Yeah, good idea," Jane said.
Booth raised his voice so he could talk over everyone else in the room. "Alright, who's hungry?"
"Me!" Aubrey answered playfully but truthfully.
Booth feigned annoyance. "Alright, who's hungry and under the age of ten?"
"We are!" Theo said as he ran towards the kitchen with a little boy that looked to be around his age, maybe just a little older.
"Why am I surprised that you two made it to the kitchen first?" Booth teased.
Jane had been pulled into a conversation with Aubrey, so Maura watched as Booth helped the two little boys fill their plates. An older boy and girl had joined them in the kitchen and were filling their own plates. Maura turned to see where Isla had gone and saw her leading another little girl towards the kitchen. Maura was surprised when she noticed that the other little girl was clearly blind. However, Isla and the little girl seemed to be completely comfortable navigating the house together.
"She has Leber's congenital amaurosis," Angela said quietly to Maura, who jumped slightly. She hadn't realized that anyone had noticed her watching.
"I'm sorry," Maura said quickly. "I shouldn't have been staring."
Angela shook her head. "Honestly, we're used to it, but one thing I've learned in the past four years is that people stare for different reasons. Besides, I get the feeling that you're going to be around for a while, so it makes sense that you'd be curious.
"She's completely blind and has been since birth, but otherwise, she's very healthy," Angela continued. "And she never lets it hold her back. She and Isla are best friends. You could ask either one of them to tell you a hundred words to describe the other, and Isla wouldn't tell you that Katie is blind any more than Katie would tell you that Isla can see. It's the only way they've known each other, and they couldn't care less that they're different.
"Jack and I found out that we were both carriers when I was pregnant with Michael Vincent," Angela said, pointing to the older boy. "He's nine. We were terrified during both pregnancies that the baby would be blind, but the truth is, I can't imagine Katie any other way. She amazes me every day. She also drives me crazy every single day. Michael Vincent has always been quite and well-behaved. Katie is a force to be reckoned with."
"Yeah, something she got from her mother," Jack said, having joined their conversation.
Maura laughed when Angela shrugged good-naturedly in agreement. "You have beautiful children," she said honestly. "I assume the other two are agent Booth and Dr. Brennan's kids?"
"Yeah, Christine is eight and Hank is five," Hodgins said. "Booth also has a son, Parker. He's nineteen and currently at Oxford. He's live in London with his mother for the past six or seven years, but he comes to visit a lot, so you'll probably meet him soon."
"Katie is four," Angela added, "just a few months younger than Isla and Theo. Honestly, it's kinda nice because they all have their best friends – Michael Vincent and Christine, Hank and Theo, and Katie and Isla."
"That's wonderful," Maura said genuinely.
"So, Jane says you're moving here," Hodgins said.
"Yes, I have to go back to Paris for a few weeks," Maura said. "I need to give proper notice at work and pack up my apartment, but then I plan to move here."
"I'm really glad you and Jane talked," Angela said, and both of them were remembering the fact that Angela overheard Maura confess her love of Jane to Booth and Aubrey in her office.
"Me, too," Maura said. "I know it won't always be easy, but it will be worth it. And honestly, I can't imagine being away from Jane or Isla and Theo."
"Cam," Angela greeted happily, noticing that two new people had entered the room.
Maura turned to see Dr. Saroyan and a Middle Eastern man walking towards them. "Good evening, Dr. Saroyan," Maura greeted.
"Please call me, Cam," Cam said. "I'd like to introduce you to my husband, Dr. Arastoo Vaziri," Cam added, indicating the man next to her. "Arastoo is a forensic anthropologist. Arastoo, this is Dr. Maura Isles. She is a medical examiner. She used to be the chief medical examiner for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts."
"It's wonderful to meet you, Dr. Vaziri," Maura said, shaking Arastoo's hand.
"Please call me Arastoo," Arastoo replied.
"Please call me Maura," Maura added with a smile.
"Maura, could I speak with you privately for a minute?" Cam asked.
"Of course," Maura said in surprise as she followed Cam down the hall.
When they were away from the group, Cam jumped right in. "I know this is sudden, but I was wondering if you'd be interested in a job. Jane mentioned that you're planning on moving here soon. I'm not sure what your plans are, but if you're interested, we'd love to have you join our team at the Jeffersonian. Only Dr. Brennan knows this. I was planning on telling everyone else this past weekend, but with everything…well, it wasn't the right time. I'm taking a leave of absence from the Jeffersonian.
"Arastoo and I are adopting three boys from Mississippi, and we both want to be home for the first few months to help them get settled. I'm appointing Dr. Hodgins as head of forensics, but we'll need a new federal medical examiner."
"Wow," Maura said. "I wasn't expecting this at all. I honestly hadn't thought much about my future career, but this sounds like a wonderful opportunity." Maura couldn't help but feel like everything was falling into place a little too easily for her, but she tried to ignore that feeling. "So, this would be a temporary position? Do you know how long the position might last?"
"Well, it could be a short-term temporary position if that's what you'd prefer, but we've actually needed a second medical examiner for a while now," Cam said. "My current plan is to take a six month leave of absence, but I'm hoping you'd be willing to stay even after I return. I'm familiar with your work, Dr. Isles, and I believe you'd be a perfect fit for our team. I completely understand that you might need time, but I'm hoping that once you decide we can move relatively quickly."
"I do need to talk to Jane before I make any decisions, but I can tell you that I am very interested in your proposition. Could I give you an answer in the next couple of days? I will still need to return to Paris for at least a few weeks to leave my current job, but we could negotiate a timeline, I'm sure," Maura said.
"Thank you, Maura," Cam said. "I'm going to tell everyone about my leave and our plans to adopt our boys tonight, but I won't say anything about our conversation. However, you're welcome to tell whomever you want."
"Thank you so much," Maura replied.
"We should get back," Cam said. "I'm honestly surprised no one has come looking for us yet."
Maura nodded and followed Cam back into the kitchen. They quickly joined the rest of the adults at the dining room table. Maura sat on Jane's right, and Jane's hand instantly found Maura's under the table. Maura squeezed Jane's hand. She couldn't believe that she every thought it was better to stay away. How she had ever thought living without Jane would be easier than watching Jane have a family with someone else was beyond her. Now that she had everything she'd ever wanted, she was determined not to let it go again. She could never give this up.
Maura hadn't realized that she wasn't paying attention to the conversation around her until everyone fell silent. Arastoo had cleared his throat to get their attention. "You ready to tell them?" Arastoo asked Cam.
"Arastoo and I have something to tell you guys," Cam said shakily. "We're both taking a leave of absence."
"What?!" Booth said quickly. "First, Jane, now you two? What's happening to us?"
Cam smiled. "We're going to Mississippi…to pick up our boys," she said.
"What?" Booth said.
"I'm sorry. I don't understand," Angela said.
Cam turned to pull something from her purse. She handed the picture to Angela, and Hodgins looked over her shoulder.
"Oh my god, look," Angela cooed. "Who are these beautiful children?"
Cam leaned forward. "That is Tyler. This is Isaiah, and the youngest one here is Jordan," Cam said, pointing to each boy in turn.
"They're siblings," Arastoo said proudly.
"They're in foster care," Brennan said.
"You knew?" Booth said, a hint of accusation infiltrating his voice.
Brennan smiled and gave him the smallest of nods. "Cam and Arastoo have petitioned to adopt them," she said.
"And this is why you asked for a leave of absence," Aubrey said, catching on.
"Yes," Cam said, looking directly at Booth. "Arastoo and I both wanted to be around for a while, full time, to help them settle in, and to help us become a family."
"Oh, Cam, that is such wonderful news," Angela said, still looking at the photo.
"It really is," Hodgins added with a smile.
"Congratulations…both of you," Booth said genuinely.
"Is that an acceptable reason for a leave of absence?" Arastoo teased.
Booth laughed. "Alright, alright," he said good naturedly. "This is a great reason."
"We're really happy for you guys," Hodgins added.
"And now, for the position of the interim director of the lab while Cam is away…" Brennan said.
"Yes, congratulations, Dr. B," Hodgins said.
"No. I'm happy where I am," Dr Brennan said. "It's you, Dr. Hodgins."
"Me?" Hodgins said, his voice cracking in his excitement.
"Mmmhmm," Cam confirmed.
"I'm the king of the lab?" Hodgins said loudly, throwing his hands in the air.
Everyone laughed. Jane leaned over to whisper in Maura's ear. "This has been an ongoing inside joke for years – long before I got here – but Hodgins is always declaring himself king of the lab."
Maura nodded, smiling.
Hodgins was still cheering, "I'm the king of the lab!"
"Just until I get back, Dr. Hodgins," Cam said, but Hodgins ignored her. "Don't get too cozy!"
"Yeah, right," Hodgins teased. "Try to pry this scepter from my hands."
Angela and Cam both rolled their eyes.
"How long are you going to be out?" Aubrey asked.
"The current plan is six-months," Cam answered. "But we'll see how the boys do."
"Congratulations," Jane said. "You guys are going to be wonderful parents."
"And you know we'll all be here if you need anything," Dr. Brennan added.
"Well, we will definitely want them to get to know you guys and the kids," Arastoo said. "They're 12, 10, and 8."
"We can't wait to meet them," Angela added, finally passing the picture around the table. "When do you get them?"
"We're going to be traveling back and forth a few times over the next couple of weeks," Cam said. "We received approval to adopt them last week, but there is still a lot of paperwork to be completed. I'm going down to part-time immediately, but my full-time leave will start in six weeks, which is when our adoption hearing takes place."
"That's wonderful," Angela said. "Wait, Maura, you should fill-in for Cam," Angela added excitedly.
Maura looked at Cam in surprise before turning to look at Jane.
"I don't know what you want to do next," Jane said to Maura. "Is that even an option?" Jane asked Cam.
Maura wanted to talk to Jane in private about this first, but she didn't know how to navigate this conversation without letting everyone else know what was going on. "Well, I wanted to talk to you first," Maura said quietly to Jane even though she knew everyone at the table was listening. "But Cam already offered me the position."
"Seriously?" Jane said in surprise, excitement evident in her voice as she looked back and forth between Cam and Maura.
"Yes, I asked Dr. Isles when we first arrived tonight," Cam confirmed. "I know you guys need to talk about your options, but just know that that is one of them."
Jane nodded before turning her attention to Maura. Cam took the hint and engaged the rest of the table in more conversations about the boys to give Maura and Jane a modicum of privacy. Jane leaned over and wrapped her arm around Maura's shoulder, pulling her into a side-hug. She kissed Maura's cheek and whispered, "We'll talk about it later, but I just want you to know that I'll support whatever you want to do. I do love the idea of working together again, but more than anything, I'm just really happy that you're going to be here."
"Thank you, Jane," Maura whispered, turning to kiss Jane's cheek in return. "I love you, and I can't wait to figure out our future."
Jane's phone buzzed. She pulled it from her pocket. "Oh, it's Frankie, I gotta take this," she said to the table at large as she stood up.
Maura watched her leave before Angela pulled her back into conversation. Jane returned a few minutes later with a huge smile on her face.
"It's a boy!" Jane said excitedly.
"Congratulations!" everyone exclaimed. Angela and Cam both hugged Jane as she rejoined the table.
"Congratulations, Jane," Maura whispered as she pulled Jane into a tight hug.
"Thanks, Maur," Jane whispered back happily. When they separated, Jane said to everyone, "They named him Nathaniel. They're gonna call him Nate. Leo is very happy for a little brother."
"Are you going to go meet your new nephew?" Dr Brennan asked.
"Yeah, we're going to go up there…hopefully, tomorrow," Jane added, glancing at Maura. "But definitely before we leave for Paris.
"Wow! So many new family members!" Hodgins said.
"So many boys!" Angela teased, and everyone laughed.
"Cheers!" Aubrey said, lifting his glass in a toast.
"To the future!" Booth said as he clinked his glass against Aubrey's.
"The future!" everyone echoed.
Jane clinked her glass with Maura's last, a huge smile on her face. "To the future," she said directly to Maura before they shared a chaste kiss.
"I can't wait," Maura replied happily.
A/N: I've never understood why Cam was always called a coroner in Bones because the duties she performs are those of a medical examiner. I think the terms are often used interchangeably incorrectly. Although, being that it's also mentioned that Cam was a cop, maybe she started as a coroner before going to medical school. Who knows? Anyway, for the purposes of this story and its sequel(s), she'll be referred to as a medical examiner.
Thank you for joining me on my first attempt at a crime-focused story! There will be a sequel to this story called "I Kissed a Girl Redux." It will pick up right where this story left off – with a visit to Boston. It will also have a crime (not directly related to the case in "I Kissed a Girl" Rizzoli & Isles episode, but you'll eventually understand the title), but the crime will be a little less central (and won't involve the kids). The story will also have more fluff and romance (and some angst because I know a lot of you are thinking…this was way too easy for Jane & Maura after five years apart).
COMING SOON: I Kissed a Girl Redux
Sequel to "The Gravedigger Redux." Jane, Maura, Isla, and Theo head to Paris to bond as a family and deal with the trauma they've all experienced. Things aren't always easy, but they are worth it as Jane and Maura get to know each other again. They hope to ease back into life in Virginia, living and working together. However, when a married lesbian couple is murdered, they have to learn how to work together again while also dealing with the implications for their relationship.