*Okay as always I own nothing of Criminal Minds or Rizzoli & Isles just enjoying using the characters.
p
Charlotte stopped by Maura's room with Bella in her arms unaware that the team had retuned home. She opened the door and saw Maura with Emily laying on her chest.
"Oh I'm sorry..."
"It's okay Charlotte... did you need something?" Maura asked the woman standing in the door way.
"I was just bringing in fussy britches here. She must have known when her madre entered the house, I'm thinking now. I thought it was you she was wanting but now that I see Emily over there, I wonder."
"Emily does have a very close bond with the children." Maura said slipping out from under Emily and putting her sweat pants on. "Let me have her." She said taking the bundle that was rubbing her fist over her lips. "I think she maybe starting to teeth."
"Yeah... it's about that joyous time." Charlotte said smiling at Maura.
"Would you mind siting with Emily for a few moments. I believe we have a whole room of people down stairs that would love to see this one."
"Sure... I can sing that one back to sleep unlike this one at the moment." She said pointing at Emily.
"Thank you." Maura said slipping from the room. She made it into the dinning room before Bella started letting her know that she was not pleased.
"Oh... che cosa e' il mio piccolo (What is it my little one?)" Rossi said coming to take the bundle from Maura's arms.
"I believe she is starting to teeth or she is mad that she hasn't seen her madre yet."
"Well I'm sure fresh milk is much better than imitation." Pen said giggling.
"Is Emily okay?" JJ asked concerned that she might be alone up stairs.
"She is sound asleep with Charlotte singing to her." Maura said knowing exactly what JJ was asking. "I'm going back up to her in a moment. I just wanted to thank you all for being patient with her." No problem... was the general consensus. "I need to say something while I have you all gathered." She said and looked around to make sure she had everyone's attention.
"I have had time to process some of what I heard coming from your plane ride home. Declan... also gave me things to think about and process while you were away. Then a few moments ago Z-man said something that has giving me a clearer understanding of the next steps we take with Emily. With everything that has happened this past year... I have thought about canceling the wedding..."
"No!" Pen whined as Jane stood up beside Maura. The whole room was in shock at her statement.
"... then I realized that would do more damage to her than help." She said pausing a moment, "What changed my mind was what Z-man said to me a few moments ago, "That Emily speaks from her heart but people only seem to hear her when her behavior changes. I have to agree with his assessment.
I realize that this year has been nothing but one whirlwind after another and we all have walked cautiously around her for Bella and her health sake but now I understand that our behavior needs to stop."
"What do you mean?" Hotch asked wanting to get to the heart of the matter.
"Emily is great at role playing. She sees what and how others need her to act and she falls into the supporting role perfectly. For example we are getting married... she thought I needed her to be totally happy for that and not show the pain that was surfacing from the memories of the trauma of last year. Yes... I want her happy about our wedding but not to the point of not grieving the horrors that happened to her last year when she feels them surface.
After we got together in school the anniversary of Charlie's death came around and she tried to hide the pain but I felt it. We went to the chapel on the anniversary and lit a candle for Charlie... then she came back and played the piano grieving. I held her that night so close..." She trailed off in the memory and wiped a tear remembering the pain her lover had in her heart.
JJ stood up and put her arm around Maura, "I think she still lights a candle Maura... was it June 28?"
Maura looked up at the woman surprised, "Yes it was. How..."
"I thought it was for a friend or family member but no matter where we were... she on June 28 and September 26 would have a candle in her go bag and lit it." JJ said as Maura took in a deep breath with her eyes becoming wide. They all looked at her to explain as she looked at Elizabeth with amazement.
"September 26 is when I pulled Emily out of boarding school." She simply explained and hung her head. Maura walked over to the woman and opened her arms for a hug.
"You didn't know and you are here now Elizabeth." She whispered into her mother-n-laws ear giving comfort to the saddened woman.
"Thank you dear." She said returning the hug.
"Okay... so how are we suppose to act around her now?" Morgan asked trying to get back on point.
"Normal..." Maura said but stopped and looked at him, "... but with out known triggers." They all laughed knowing the history of that statement. "I realized after talking with Declan that we all have issues with everything that has happened. We all need time to grieve the hurt she has gone through and she needs to know what we are feeling. That it's okay with us for her to have a bad day or memory because if we don't the dreams and behaviors will continue to come in drastic ways. We also need to be honest with each other of how things make us feel with her."
"I agree with Maura..." JJ said... as what the woman said sunk in, "... everything that has happened to Emily has changed all of our lives in more than one way or another. For the most part it has bettered us all but it also hurts to know that someone I love so much is in that much pain..." She said as the tears started and her voice cracked. Jane came and put her arm around the woman's waist, "... and no matter what I do or we all do..." she said motioning to all of them in the room, "... nothing will erase the memories of what happened to her this day last year."
"Maybe not JJ but being there for her is important and does help." Rossi said handing Bella to Elizabeth.
"Yes... it is important..." Pen started saying, "...and I agree but I have to admit hearing those deep sobs on the plane a few hours ago ripped my heart almost out of my chest." She finished as Frankie put his arm around her.
Hotch cleared his throat and wiped a tear from his eye before it had a chance to even start thinking about falling, "I understand the pain and anguish that Emily was having. Thankfully not a lot of people can say this... but it is a very daunting feeling to think you are responsible for someone's death especially the mother of your child." He said as Dave put a strong hand on his shoulder with most of the table remembering the day Foyet shot and killed his wife Haley. "I also agree with Maura... now that Bella is here we need to address this issue in our own way with her."
"You did that in Memphis though." Jane said looking at him.
"What do you mean?"
"Emily doubted her abilities in talking with Amy and then you sent her to escort the body of the dead girl to the morgue."
Hotch looked at the woman, "You should think about becoming a profiler."
"No thank you... I'm happy in Boston." She said quickly, "... but you did send her with the body on purpose...didn't you?"
"Yes Jane... I did."
"Why? You knew she was having issues." She wanted an answer and now the whole table wanted one as well.
"Emily let me know her limits by requesting JJ's help. We all know she could have handled that interview with Amy any day of the week before all this happened to her... so with that thought I sent her with the body for two reasons. One I needed her to know I still believed in her capacity to do her job and the second to see if she did need to be pulled to the backlines. She proved again that my faith in her abilities were right."
"She's one tough cookie..." Reid said walking in.
"You are back!" Pen said smiling at the boy genus.
"I am..." He said smiling as JJ and Pen came and hugged him. "What did I miss?"
"Lots but we can fill you in later... come have some breakfast." JJ said not wanting to rehash everything again that had been said.
"So... Maura... Is there going to be a wedding or not?" Frankie asked knowing his girlfriend needed to know the answer.
"What?" Spencer looked at Maura confused.
"Yes... the wedding is as planned." She said smiling at the younger Rizzoli, "But the plans for the next two weeks still have to be run by a sleeping brunette up stairs before we proceed with anything."
"Yay... understood!" Pen said clapping her hands in excitement.
"Now... today I would dearly love for you all to spend time with each other and your loved ones. I will call if anyone is needed... she will sleep a good part of the day..." Bella screamed in anger, "...or not." She said laughing at her daughter and coming and getting her from Elizabeth. "Jennifer... we will call you when she does wake up. I do not want to see any of you until Sunday night's dinner." She said as she took a fussy Bella into the kitchen to heat a bottle for the upset girl."
Jane followed the woman into the kitchen, "You need anything Maur?"
"Jane... do you mind holding her while I get her bottle heated up?"
"Sure..." She said as she came and started bouncing with Bella trying to appease the crying baby. "This brings back memories of TJ."
"Yes it does." Maura said smiling at her friend.
"I think you are right about her teething. She keeps rubbing her mouth with her fist."
"Would you like to feed her?" Maura asked as the bottle became the right temperature.
"Yeah..." She said sitting down and placing the bottle in the girl's mouth. "There you go missy... all that fuss and fire. You are just like your mother." Jane said smiling at the young girl.
"So you and Emily talked..." Maura said breaking the silence between them.
"Yeah... we talked."
"Is everything okay?"
"We are good at the moment. I have come to understand some of the things that you have been trying to tell me."
"Oh..."
"We really need to talk Maur but I'm not so sure right now and here is the proper place."
"Jane... you do not need to fear talking to me about anything and Emily is fine with us..."
"It's not that Maur..." Jane said interrupting the woman. "I know that Emily is okay with everything... well except voyeurism."
Maura laughed, "Yeah... not too many people like that Jane."
"Go figure..." She said rolling her eyes and smiling at Maura. "Maybe we can talk later over a pizza or something."
"Okay... You go and get some sleep and we will set sometime apart on Sunday to talk."
"I would like that," she said as she burped the little girl then handed her back to Maura. "I'm going to go now I'm beat."
Maura walked up to Jane and leaned in and kissed her on the lips, "Thank you Jane."
"For what?"
"For opening your heart up to something that scares you and for being there for Emily when she needed you."
Jane smiled her winning smile, "Anytime Maura... I'm here for you both." She said and left.
Maura looked at the bundle of joy in her arms then made a face, "She is here anytime but when it comes to changing your diaper." She said laughing at Bella, "Let's get you up stairs little girl... you have issues that need attending." She said as she took her up the back stair case away from the dinning room.
Okay this ended this chapter... the next starts wedding week preparations with hints and glimpses of the wedding. :)