By noon, Maura, Jane and Hayley Mae were in Jane's SUV, headed towards the coast. Maura had been listening to Hayley Mae's stories as they flew down the highway. Once she fell asleep -halfway there – Maura was given a chance to fill in her girlfriend of her summer experiences.
"A normal case load is about twenty-five cases a week, but Amy and I have been averaging close to thirty. Apparently, the criminals of New York thought we needed something do this summer."
Jane smirked, "What exactly do you guys do?"
Maura shrugged, "A lot of paperwork, filing, lab tests, running files to different departments, processing evidence."
"And you're enjoying that? The busywork?" Jane was genuinely curious
"Yeah." Maura nodded, "For the most part. I mean, I'm getting to work alongside actual medical examiners and getting real world experience with my chosen career, you know? Not that I'm going to work in New York, but the experience transfers from place to place."
"Who's the third desk for in your office?"
"His name is Jeremiah. He dropped out of the program."
"Why?"
Maura chuckled, "He got busted with cocaine in his backpack. At work."
Jane's jaw dropped, "He brough that into the precinct?"
Maura sighed with an amused smile, "He picked the one day they were doing a K9 demonstration in the front lobby where we come into work. The dog went absolutely nuts when he smelled Jeremiah's bag."
"Well, he kinda deserved it, it sounds like."
"Take this exit." Maura pointed, "Yeah." She continued, "Obviously, he wasn't cut out for the program."
xxx
xxx
xxx
As Jane drove up the private drive to Maura's parents' home, she was suddenly taken aback. The place was enormous. Not just the house, but the property as well. She could tell there were a few other smaller houses on each side of the property, but there was a massive amount of land between each.
The house itself had to be at least three stories tall. There was a grand, stone, double staircase leading up to the massive front doors.
"Oh my…" Maura whispered
"What?"
"My… parents are here." The blonde seemed mystified
"How do you know?"
Hazel-green eyes flashed up at the flag flying above the courtyard, "The flag…they put it up when they're home and leave it down when they're not."
"Oh…oh…" She hadn't realized she be meeting the parents so soon.
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah…just wasn't prepared to meet the parents." She chuckled dryly, looking down at her jeans and Boston Bruins t-shirt.
xxx
As they drove closer, the two noticed a plumber's van parked in the courtyard. Jane parked and the three got out of the SUV, Jane carrying her daughter on her back. Two plumbers exited the front door, with an older blonde woman behind them: phone to her ear.
When the woman spotted the three, her face brightened. She said something into the phone and hung up.
"My darling!"
Maura stepped into the woman's arms with a bright smile, "Mother!"
They embraced for a long moment before the women pulled away.
"What are you doing here?" Maura asked
"Your father and I thought that maybe we could spend the holiday with you and your paramour."
Maura gasped, "Dad's here?"
"He's in the study." The woman finally let her daughter's hands go and looked over at Jane and the small girl in her arms. "You must be Jane?"
Jane took the woman's outstretched hand.
"Mother." Maura smiled brightly, "This is Jane Rizzoli, my girlfriend. Jane, this is my mother, Constance."
"It's wonderful to finally meet you." Constance took Jane's hand in a strong shake, "I've heard so much about you." The woman looked down at the smaller Rizzoli, "And you must be Hayley Mae."
Hayley Mae tucked her head behind her mother's head.
"Meeting new people isn't her favorite thing." Jane chuckled
"That's alright." Constance folded her hands in front of herself, not at all bothered by Hayley Mae's shyness, "We can get acquainted this weekend." The woman gestured towards the house, "Welcome to our home. Let's get inside, and I'll have Xavier come get your things."
The four stepped into the house and Jane felt slightly overwhelmed by the enormity of the front hall. Twin staircases mirrored the front hall, meeting in the center, which also was a direct path to the back of the house that led out onto a large deck. Jane could see a clear, massive view of the ocean behind the house.
Maura led them down a side hallway into a small study. An older man sat, leaned back in a leather chair, a large book in his hands.
"Daddy!" Maura squealed
The man looked up with a surprised smile and jumped from his seat just in time to catch an armful of his daughter, "Maura, my love."
"I can't believe you two are here!" Came Maura's muffled voice from her father's chest
"Well, things miraculously opened up in our schedule, and I thought it'd be a great time to meet your lady friend, finally."
The older man turned towards Jane, keeping his daughter under one arm in a side hug, and extended his hand towards the lanky librarian, "Arthur Isles."
"Jane Rizzoli." She took his hand in a shake
"Strong handshake." The man smirked, "I like it. Means a strong, confident personality."
Jane felt a slight blush tinge her cheeks.
His eyes traveled down to Hayley Mae, "And who's this little one?"
Maura reach out and playfully tickled under Hayley Mae's chin, causing the little girl to giggle. "Hayley Mae, Jane's daughter."
"Hello little one."
Hayley Mae, feeling some sudden confidence, stretched out her hand to shake his, "Hi."
xxx
xxx
Constance walked into the office a moment later with a sigh, "Well, change of plans."
Maura felt a sudden disappointment, thinking her parents were about to jet off, "What's wrong?" She was used to her mother's art galleries needing sudden and immediate attention.
Constance looked to her daughter, "You're going to have to bunk with Jane this weekend. The pipes burst in the guest bathroom. The carpets need replaced in the guest bedroom. And since it's a holiday weekend, I can't get anyone here till Tuesday. So Jane will have to bunk with you in your room."
Maura smirked and eyed her mother suspiciously. The older woman seemed unaffected by her daughter's gaze.
"Anyhow, I've had Xavier take your things to Maura's room." She said to Jane, "And Hayley Mae is welcome to sleep down the hall from you in the smaller guest room."
Jane shrugged, "she's good with sleeping anywhere. Just like me."
Constance clapped her hands together with a smile, "Perfect. Maura, how about you and I make some tea. I'm sure you had a long drive and would like to relax a little."
"Of course." The two left the room, Hayley Mae tagging behind Maura with a big smile.
xxx
Jane was left in the library with Arthur. The older man smiled at the brunette, "Maura tells us you're a librarian."
"I am, sir."
"What got you into the profession?" he sat back down in his chair and crossed his legs, gesturing for Jane to sit as well.
Jane sat on the small couch across from him, "I needed an escape as a kid. I spent a lot of time in libraries growing up. It gave me a love for books and learning."
"An escape from what? If you don't mind me asking."
Jane shrugged, "My parents fought a lot."
"I see."
"My brothers retreated into sports, I retreated into books. I played sports too, but books really helped me to quiet my mind."
Arthur agreed, "Book are the best escape. They're educational as well as mentally relaxing. Favorite genre?"
"Anything really. As a kid, I was really into Greek and Norse mythology. I majored in psychology, so anything on the human mind is up there pretty high on favorites."
"Has Maura told you of my library here?"
"She told me about the one in your homes in Boston, and New York. She didn't say anything about here."
He smirked, "Follow me."
xxx
They turned down a hall and came to stop. "This is only a small portion of my vast collection." He opened the door to a massive, two story room. The walls were lined with bookshelves. A small balcony on the second floor held two couches and a lamp tucked in between bookshelves. On the ground floor were two small alcoves with lounge chairs, couches, and a small coffee table with reading lamps.
Jane's heart almost stopped as she took it all in, "This place is magnificent."
"I'd like to think so." He smirked at her wonder.
"Have you read every book here?"
"Not quite. I'm more a gatherer. Most of my books come from the streets of Paris, Madrid, and London. There's rows upon rows of book sellers lining every major street. And beyond that, I've visited bookstores across the world on my travels. Whenever something catches my eye, I grab it, in hopes of a new discovery."
Jane ran her fingers over the spine of an old book lying open on the table in front of her, "This is amazing."
"Maura says you have your own collection at home?"
Jane blushed, "Nothing like this...mine are mostly books I grew up with, books from college, and Hay's school books. And most of them are in boxes in my basement."
"Do you get time to read often."
"Not with a six year old."
He sat, gesturing her to as well, "Maura tells me that your daughter is quite the avid little reader herself."
"She is." Jane nodded with a soft smile, "Being a librarian, you've got to start them young." She chuckled, "It's nothing crazy. Most of her books are picture books at the moment. But each time she picks something new out, there's more words and less pictures."
"Do you read to her?"
"Yeah. I started reading to her when she was a baby. I'd get home from work just in time to put her to bed and read a few chapters to her. She'd fall asleep in five minutes, but...it was always soothing to read to her and listen to her sleep."
Arthur smiled, "I know exactly what you mean. Maura was such a good sleeper. We thought there was something wrong when she'd sleep so much and so deeply. Both my wife and I would just sit and watch her sleep for hours."
The library door opened, and Maura stepped in. Her smiled brightened when she saw her two favorite people smiling back at her. "I hope I'm not intruding."
"You didn't, darling." Arthur gestured her to come closer, "We were just talking about our wonderful daughters."
"All good things, I hope." Jane held her arm our and Maura sat down on the arm of Jane's chair.
"Very good." He smirked. He watched his daughter lean into Jane unconsciously.
"Where's Hay?" Jane asked, squeezing her arm around Maura's hips
"Mother wanted to give her a tour of the house. She said they'd meet us back here, eventually. Hay was quite intrigued by the idea of having a beach in our back yard."
"This is all new for her." Jane commented, "All she knows is Ma's house and mine."
Arthur sat up in his chair, "Tell me about your family, Jane. If you don't mind."
xxx
Jane and Arthur spoke of Jane's upbringing for quite some time while Maura listened quietly. After a while, Jane noticed that Constance never joined them. "Should I be worried about where my child is?" Jane joked
Maura pulled her through the house, leaving her father to read in the library.
They passed her mother's study to find both Constance and Hayley Mae at an easel. It was one of those easels that had a small stool attached. Constance was seated on the stool while she held the little girl's hips as Hayley Mae stood on the stool and painted on the canvas. The girl was quiet as she moved the brush across the no-longer white canvas.
The older woman looked up at the door and smiled, "Your daughter is a wonderful artist."
Jane smirked, "Don't have any idea where she gets it from."
Hayley Mae turned towards her mother and beamed, "Momma! Look! I'm painting."
"I see that, baby. You're doing a great job."
"Do you mind if I steal her away for a while?" Constance asked
The brunette shrugged, "Sure. If she gets to be quite a handful, let me know."
Maura pulled her lanky girlfriend back down the hall and towards the back patio. "Let me show you around."
xxx
The two found themselves lounging together on the back patio, listening to the ocean waves and nature around them. The sun slowly started to go down by the time Arthur found them, "Darling, Jane, dinner is almost ready."
The two followed him into the dining room where Hayley Mae was already stationed in a booster seat next to Constance.
xxx
Once dinner was done, Maura found herself volunteering to do the dishes. Constance joined her daughter after putting a teapot on the stove to heat up some water.
"I see you're getting pretty close to the little one." She commented, "She asks you to do little things like cut her meat, pour her more juice...you've developed quite the rapport."
"Says the woman who held her in her lap all afternoon to paint."
The older woman smirked and shrugged, "So what? I can't wait forever to get a grandchild from you. Might as well soak up what I can..."
The younger blonde blushed and rolled her eyes, "Mother."
"Oh Maura..." Constance sighed, wiping her hands on a dish towel, "Jane is perfect."
"I know she is. That's why I'm moving in with her."
"You are?"
Maura nodded, "When I get home next month. We talked about it back around Easter. I'm tired of living with others, and I just...miss her when we're apart."
"So, marriage isn't out of the question?"
"Mother..." Maura blushed harder
"I'm serious Maura. Jane is wonderful. She's strong, protective, she has a stable career, not to mention the gorgeous and smart little one. She has good genes. Scoop that up as quick as you can."
The teapot whistled, and the older woman turned to turn in off.
The med student couldn't help but chuckle at her mother's words. But she couldn't help pondering the future as she met Jane in her room to get ready for bed.
The next morning, Maura sat in the breakfast nook of the kitchen with an adorably sleepy Jane tucked into her side as they drank coffee. Hayley Mae had still been dead to the world when they got up, and they decided to let her sleep in a little.
Maura poured them both a little more coffee from the French press in front of them as they sat quietly listening to the rushing waves behind them outside.
Constance breezed into the room, already dressed and ready for the day, "Maura, Jane darling, good morning. I was wondering what your plans were for the day." she asked, staring directly at Jane.
Taken slightly aback, she looked to her girlfriend before responding, "Nothing concrete as of yet. Just whatever Maura's doing."
"Then I was wondering if you'd be amenable to letting Arthur and I take your young one down to the pier for the afternoon. There are some carnival games and we could take her to the small park there as well."
"Sure." Jane shrugged, "If she's up for it, then go right ahead."
"It'll give us some time to get to know her and give you some time to...be alone." The older woman waggled her eyebrows.
Maura blushed, "Mother." she warned, spotting Jane's adorable blush as well
"What?" Constance defended 'innocently', "I'm just saying that you two could use an afternoon of quiet to relax down by the water; get some sun and all that."
"Of course, you were." The med student chuckled
Arthur walked into the room in a pair of short pants and a loose linen shirt. He slid a ball cap onto his head, "So, did they say yes?"
"They did." Constance beamed; clapping her hands together, "After lunch, we'll pop down to the pier."
xxx
xxx
They settled on watching a movie. They didn't move from their positions, lying on top of each other. Just as Jane's eyes were starting to drift shut, they heard the front door open. Jane attempted to get up, but Maura held her in place, too comfortable to move.
Constance found them in the den and smiled down at the sight, "Ahh, there you two are. I hope you found something to do while we were away today."
Jane sensed the woman was insinuating something and turned her head away to hide her blush.
"How was the pier?" Maura asked
"Wonderful. The weather was perfect, and there weren't many tourists."
Jane turned back to the woman, "How was the kid? Where is she?"
"Terrible. Absolutely horrible. We ended up selling her to the carnival folk down under the pier."
The brunette snorted, "Good. I was getting tired of her anyways."
Constance smiled brightly, "She did very well. She was a little nervous at the beginning, but when she spotted the games, she perked right up. She fell asleep on the car ride home. Arthur is depositing her upstairs."
Jane stood, causing Maura to sigh and pout, "I'm gonna go check on her. Meet you upstairs?"
Maura nodded and the librarian made her way out of the room.
"I see what you see in her..." Constance remarked, her eyes trailing after the tall woman.
"Mother..."
"What?" the older woman defended, "She's gorgeous. It makes sense you'd go after someone gorgeous. And smart."
"You can't have her." Maura teased
"Don't worry, Darling. She's all yours."
The next morning, Maura slipped from her shared bed just as the sun was rising. She found her mother already in the kitchen, pot of coffee brewing, and reading the morning paper in her pajamas. "How did you sleep, darling?"
"Very well."
"I'm sure." Constance smirked over her coffee mug
"Mother."
"What?" she asked 'innocently'. "I didn't say anything."
"But you insinuated."
"Well, of course I did. I'm trying to be subtle about asking if she's as amazing in bed as she seems to be."
"Mother!" Maura laughed, a blush tinting her cheeks
"Oh, come on, Maura. Tell me everything. I need to know."
The younger blonde chuckled, "If you must know, we've not...been intimate in that way, yet."
"And why the hell not?" Constance seemed offended
Maura laughed, "Because..." she paused and really thought about it, "Because. Everything about our relationship has been rushed. Dating, moving in together, our first 'I love you'. I don't want to rush this too. And, I didn't want to delve into that part of our relationship just before leaving for three months. It wasn't fair to either of us."
Constance melted a little; a soft smile on her lips, "You've said 'I love you' already?"
"Yes, right before we left." Maura sipped her coffee, "And I do. I do love her. Very much to be honest. And I love Hayley Mae as well."
"Oh, that child is absolutely wonderful. Jane has done a wonderful job raising her."
"Her mother has helped quite a bit on that front. Angela homeschools her."
"Really?"
"Jane says that Hayley Mae had signs of ADD and was advised to homeschool. Angela helps with that so Jane can work. And apparently she's doing very well."
"She seems quite intelligent for a six-year-old."
"Very." Maura pulled another mug from the cupboard and poured coffee into it, "I'm going to go wake Jane before the caterers get here."
Constance nodded, "They'll be here in two hours. And the decorators will be here in three."
xxx
xxx
Once Jane and Maura were up, showered, and dressed, the caterers were already in the kitchen getting the food prepped for that evening. Jane made herself useful by helping Arthur move things around on the patio while Maura got Hayley Mae up and dressed for the day.
The flurry of people in the house quickly overwhelmed the little girl, and Maura soon found herself in the library, sitting on the floor coloring with Hayley Mae in the quiet. Jane found them around noon, bringing in two plates of sandwiches, chips and a couple juice boxes.
"Where did you get juice boxes?" Maura chuckled as she stabbed the straw through hers
"Your mother had the caterers go pick some up."
Maura smirked thoughtfully as she helped Hayley Mae get her own juice box opened.
"How's it going out there?" the blonde asked, tucking into her own sandwich
Jane nodded, "Well...I think? Caterers are here with the food, prepping away. Your mother is with the decorators...though I'm not sure if they're going to stick around. Your mother is getting a little aggressive with them."
"If it's Caesar, it'll be fine. He's used to her."
"She's like this all the time?"
Maura nodded, "My mother is a creature of perfection. She handpicks all the help we hire. If they can't keep up with her demands, they're out the door, and she always has at least two other options waiting in the wings."
"Your mother sounds fun." Jane chuckled
"You have no idea."
"Momma." Hayley Mae looked up at her mother, "Is there party tonight?"
"Yes, sweetie."
"Is Nona gonna be there?"
"No honey, she's back in Boston."
The little girl looked back down to her coloring, then back up to her mother, "Am I going to meet people?"
Jane smirked at her shy daughter, and Maura cut in, "Not if you don't want to. Maybe we can go down to the beach if it gets too much for you. How does that sound?"
Hayley Mae thought for a moment before nodding and continuing on with her work.
xxx
Jane changed into a nicer pair of jeans, a sweater, and her favorite boat shoes. She tied her hair back in a braid and made her way into the guest room where her daughter was being helped by her girlfriend. Maura had offered to help Hayley Mae get changed for the party once she had done so herself as well. Hayley Mae was standing at the end of the bed, back to Maura as the blonde worked a simple braid into the little girl's hair, when Jane stepped into the room.
"We ready?"
"Momma! Mo is braiding my hair!"
Jane chuckled, "It looks beautiful baby."
The doorbell rang in the distance and Maura sighed, "It's starting."
xxx
The party was in full swing when Jane and Maura made their entrance. Everyone they talked to, gave Maura a huge hug and asked her how school was going and what her plans were for the future. The blonde introduced her girlfriend to each of them, as well as Jane's daughter. Maura beamed with pride every time.
Soon, Hayley Mae was showing signs of being overwhelmed. Just as Jane was ducking off the porch with her daughter in her arms, Arthur bounded over to them with a smile, "Jane, you have to come with me and meet my friend Peter. He's a psychology professor at Northwestern. I told him all about you and he wants to meet you."
Jane looked between Hayley Mae and Arthur a few times before Maura stepped in, "How about Hay and I go inside for a little bit and grab something to eat." The blonde outstretched her arms and Hayley Mae easily shifted from her mother's grip to Maura's.
"I'll be back soon." Jane murmured with a kiss to her daughter's cheek, then Maura's.
Arthur pulled her away as Maura stepped inside the porch door to the house.
xxx
It was quite a bit later that Jane looked up from the stimulating conversation between Arthur and the professor. Maura had reappeared with a curious Hayley Mae at her side. They stopped at the dessert table. Maura got caught into a conversation and Hayley Mae wandered just out of the blonde's sight. A few people got in between them, and Jane watched her daughter spin, looking for Maura. Before Jane could react and before Hayley Mae could be distressed, Constance came whirling in and kneeled down to her level with a smile. Jane relaxed a bit, thankful for Constance's watchful eye. The action also made her heart spin a little as Hayley Mae seemed relaxed in the older woman's grasp. The two perused the table. Hayley pointed to a large cupcake with American flag icing. Constance grabbed a knife, cut it in half and gave half to Hayley Mae and took the other half for herself.
Constance sat down in the chair a few feet from the dessert table and Hayley Mae crawled right into her lap.
Jane couldn't help the smile that crossed her lips. As Hayley Mae snacked on the cupcake, she leaned more heavily into Constance's arms, much like she would with Angela. Constance called over to her daughter, who had just turned with an alarmed look.
Jane was sucked back into her conversation for a while longer.
The professor started talking about the psychology of raising kids. Arthur jumped in with, "And you should meet Jane's daughter. She is the most intelligent six-year-old I've met since my own daughter was that age."
The professor turned to Jane with an interested look.
Arthur continued, "Maura tells me she homeschools with Jane's mother."
"Was your mother a teacher?" Peter asked
"No, we found a program that helps parents teach at home. It gives us curriculum and assistance with on call teachers and online chatting. Hayley Mae has been doing so well with it. And there's lots of room for adding your own spin to it."
"In what way?"
Arthur jumped in again, "I believe her mother is teaching Hayley Mae Italian, is that correct?"
The professor was even more interested, "How is she taking to that?"
"Pretty well, I think." Jane nodded. She was a little surprised at how much Arthur was sharing and how proud he was; like Hayley Mae was his own granddaughter.
xxx
After a while, Jane tore herself from the conversation and went in search of her girlfriend and daughter. After a few minutes of searching, she received a text, "Out on the dock." Jane turned towards the dock out in the distance. There was a small, gazebo type shelter on the beach. Jane spotted two heads and made her way over to them.
When she stepped into the gazebo, she found Hayley May tucked under a blanket on Maura's lap. Her eyes were sleepy, but she smiled at her mother's presence. "Ma, we're watching the waves."
Jane chuckled and sat down next to the blonde. She grabbed the edge of the blanket and scooted as close as she could to be underneath it. She sighed and leaned against the bench, putting an arm around Maura. "Your father is weirdly proud and mildly obsessed with my child."
Maura chuckled, "You should have heard my mother most of the night. Going on and on about how much of a talented artist Hayley Mae is to all of her artist friends that are here."
"Seriously?"
"Yes. She even pulled out her tablet to show them pictures of the painting she did the other day."
Jane shook her head in amusement.
Not seeing Jane's smile because of the darkness around them, Maura turned towards her, "You're not upset, are you?"
"No!" Jane chuckled, "No. It's actually kind of awesome. I feel...I feel like they're accepting of us, of me. You know? It's almost like they see her as a granddaughter already. And they just met us."
"Mother is quite smitten with you." Maura rested back in Jane's arms, "Father as well. I've already told mother that she's not allowed to have you."
"Oh really." Jane murmured as she placed a kiss on the back of Maura's neck
"Yes." the blonde breathed, "You're mine."
"Mmm, good. Because you're mine too." Just as Jane's lips were about to connect with Maura's, Hayley Mae perked up in Maura's arms, "Momma! Are those the fireworks?"
Both women turned towards where the little girl was pointing to see a man with a flare in his hand, lighting a bunch of fuses, standing a few hundred feet away on the beach.
Maura pulled out a pair of noise cancelling headphones from nowhere and slipped them over Hayley Mae's ears. "It's going to get really loud sweetie. Wear these, okay?"
"Okay, Mo."
The first firework boomed loudly overhead, shattering in millions of star-like lights around them. Hayley Mae stared at the sky, fascinated. She snuggled into Maura's arms more securely, leaning against the blonde's chest comfortably. Jane felt her heart sing as she pulled them both tighter into her body. As the fireworks display shown around them, Jane couldn't take her eyes off the sight before her.
Hayley Mae, eyes shining in the display of lights and explosions, staring up at the sky. Maura, holding her daughter close, eyes turned towards Jane with a look of adoration and love shining through them.
Jane couldn't hold herself back anymore; leaning forward to capture Maura's lips in a kiss filled with each and every one of her feelings for the other woman.