Author Note: Thank you so much to everyone who has been patiently waiting the next chapter - finally it's here. I seemed to hit a little block, and it didn't help that I've been so caught up in my other stories. It seems Jane and Maura are doing their own thing, once again. Hopefully you enjoy. Now I really must sleep as it's 1.30am and I'm tired. Goodnight.

"There's wheat germ blueberry pancakes," Angela said, dropping one onto a plate and pouring some more of the mixture into the pan.

Maura poured herself a mug of coffee and sat down at the counter. She pursed her lips together. "No, thank you."

Sighing, Angela pushed the plate toward her and grabbed a bottle of maple syrup. "Please. Take it. It'll only go to waste otherwise."

"Okay." Maura picked up the maple syrup and poured a little across the pancake. Angela handed her a fork and she cut it up, eating each piece until the plate was empty. Holding up the pan, Maura nodded her head and Angela tipped another one onto the plate. "Thank you."

"I've not seen Janie this morning," Angela said, leaning on the counter opposite her. "Did she stay over?"

Maura swallowed a mouthful of pancake. "No."

"You two didn't have a fight or anything, did you?"

"No."

"Would like some more?"

She shook her head.

"Can you say something more than no, please," Angela said, pressing her lips together. Her eyes glossed over. Maura lowered her eyes and focused on the pancake on her plate. "Please, Maura. It's been two weeks. I can't have you be mad at me for much longer. It's too hard."

Opening her eyes, Maura dropped her fork on the plate. She pushed it forward and stared into Angela's eyes. "Stop. This isn't the way to fix this. You need to leave me alone."

"But I'm sorry." Angela reached out to her hand.

Maura pulled it away and stood up. "I don't want to discuss this with you now, Angela. Jane and I have chosen to have some time away from you, please respect that."

"What can I do? Tell me what I can do."

"I have to go to work."

She turned around and headed for the door, picking up her purse on the way. She heard the clatter of fork against plate, and plate against sink, as she closed the door behind her. A small part of her felt guilty. Angela had been for days. She could see how much effort she was putting in. The food, the attempt at conversation. Usually Jane had been there, a buffer between them, but she'd gone into the office early. Still, Maura wasn't ready and there was little she could do to change that.

x

A hand slipped around her waist. Maura twisted around. Lips landed on hers, pushing her against the metal examination table. Jane's tongue trailed across her bottom lip, fighting for access to her mouth. She wrapped a hand around Jane's neck and held her steady. Jane leaned forward, then sprang back.

"Ugh!"

Maura narrowed her eyes. Jane held a hand out in front of her, staring down at the red and white blotches that covered her fingers. She pressed her lips together to disguise a smirk.

"That's your punishment for disturbing me while I work," she said, smiling. "I need to finish this autopsy."

"What exactly do I have on my hand?"

Maura leaned forward and analysed the fluids. "I would say a mixture between blood and body fat."

"Ew, ew, ew." She walked across the room and ran the tap, soaking her hand. "Who needs to do an autopsy?"

Maura rolled her eyes and picked up a couple of paper towels. "This is your case I'm working on."

"So?" She dried off her fingers then held Maura's hips, tugging her closer. "I'd rather show you how much you mean to me."

"Here?" Maura raised an eyebrow. "With a body open on the table?"

Scrunching up her nose, Jane stepped away. "You're right. That's gross. What do you have for me?"

"More blood and body fat," she said, holding up her stained gloves. "I'm sorry, there's some on your neck."

"Ew, Maura!"

"I'm sorry," she said, peeling off her gloves. "You took me by surprise. Mr Henderson died due to a blow to L1 and 2."

"What does that mean?"

"His spinal cord was severed when two of his discs were dislocated. Further blows made the bones push against the spinal cord. I would estimate his time of death to be somewhere between four to six hours ago."

"Thank you," Jane said, kissing her cheek and rushing for the door.

"That's all?"

Jane stopped by the door. "What do you mean that's all?"

"You come in here, you kiss me, you get bodily fluids on your hand. You find out what I know, and you leave."

"Is that not what always happens?"

"Usually," Maura said, walking toward her. She slid her hands around Jane's back and pulled her closer. "I thought we could spend a few minutes discussing something other than work."

"I thought you had an autopsy to get back to."

Maura trailed her palm across the swell of Jane's abdomen. "That was before we got pregnant."

"Err," Jane frowned. "You didn't want me anywhere near you last week."

"I didn't want you anywhere near me because the body was found in a toxic waste plant. I had to make sure the toxicity level was low enough that it wouldn't harm you or our babies."

Jane rolled her eyes. "But it's okay for me to chase criminals around South Boston."

"When did you do that?" Maura asked, her mouth dropped open.

"I haven't," Jane said. "But I could."

"Please be careful." She pressed both hands against Jane's stomach and leaned in for another kiss. "Don't do anything that might purposefully put you or the children in harm's way."

"'Course not," Jane said, kissing the end of her nose. "I really should be going. Korsak's waiting for me."

"I love you."

"Love you too," Jane said, pushing open the door.

x

Korsak slurped on a cup of coke. The longer he sucked up the final droplets of coke, the more Jane glared at him. He shrugged and placed the cup in the trash bag he'd put in before they left. She chewed on a sandwich she'd picked up and regretted it instantly. She dropped it into the bag.

"What you doing?"

"I don't want it."

"So?"

"So?" Jane frowned. "Did you want it?"

"Maybe." She reached into the bag and pulled it back out, handing it to Korsak. "I don't want it now."

"Make your mind up, Korsak."

"All I'm saying is it would have been nice if you'd just asked first."

"Yeah, yeah," she said, dropping it back into the bag and refocusing her attention on the building across the street. "How much longer you think we gonna be?"

"He's been leaving here every day around now, should be any minute."

"What do you reckon we get the one day he doesn't leave at all?" Jane asked, rolling her eyes.

A moment later, the door to the office building opened and a tall man with a goatee and shoulder length curls exited the building. He walked down the street, completely oblivious to their presence. Korsak opened his door. Jane followed.

"You should stay here," he said.

Jane shook her head. "No chance."

"You're not just you anymore."

"I know full well," Jane said. "I'm coming."

They walked along the side road and onto the main street. Jane lifted her gun from her holster and reached for her badge. Her wrist brushed her bump. She breathed in deeply. She'd been a cop for a lot longer than she'd been pregnant. She'd also been pregnant before. She was perfectly capable of doing her job. Even if the last pregnancy had ended suddenly, thanks to her job.

"Kieran Thomas," Korsak said. The man turned, his eyes landed on Jane's gun. "Boston Homicide."

He turned back around and fled, running at speed down the street. Jane holstered her gun and set off after him, her pregnancy barely slowing her down. She felt her heart race inside her chest. Korsak's footsteps pounded the ground behind her. Kieran Thomas turned a corner and she followed him. The alleyway ended abruptly, a fence split it off from any escape.

"No!" Kieran Thomas shouted.

"Jane, be careful," Korsak shouted after her.

Jane reached out a hand to grasp Kieran Thomas's shirt. She pushed him back, forcing him against the fence where he stumbled backwards. He gritted his teeth and barged forward again, his shoulder collided with Jane's. She didn't realise what had happened until she felt herself land on the floor. Pain seared through her shoulder blade.

"Jane!"

Korsak's voice drifted across the alleyway. She sighed, winded by the fall. She rolled onto her side to get up. The world span too quickly. She rested her hand on the floor and breathed slowly. Looking up, she watched Korsak cuff the man.

"Good job," she said, lying down on the floor. "I'm just gonna stay here until you're done."

x

"Is she okay?"

"I'm fine," Jane said, opening her eyes at the sound of Maura's voice. The hospital room was painted a standard cream. She groaned, her shoulder ached. She tried to sit up straighter but the nurse beside her held her steady with her good shoulder. "I'll be fine when they let me go."

"What the hell were you thinking?" Maura asked, her eyes filled with tears. "When Korsak called I thought you were seriously hurt."

"My shoulder hurts like a pervert with his dick in a peep hole and a dog on the other side," she said, laughing. Maura's frown made her smile quickly fade. "Well, it's true."

"You've dislocated your shoulder."

"Oh."

"You're lucky you're not more seriously hurt," Maura said, cupping her cheek. "I was so worried. Korsak said you lost consciousness."

"I, I don't remember."

"You need to look after yourself, and the babies."

Pushing herself up a little with her fist, Jane stared at Maura. The consequence of her actions finally hitting home. "Are the babies okay?"

"They checked for the heartbeats and they're strong. They're going to do a full scan soon."

"I'm sorry," Jane said. "But he was getting away. The idiot thought he could climb over a fence, and instead sent me flying. Could have happened to any of us."

"But it didn't," Maura said, sitting down in the chair beside the bed. The nurse who had been fussing around her disappeared. Jane gripped Maura's hand tightly. "It happened to you. It happened to you while you're three and a half months pregnant."

"I'm okay."

"Tell that to the doctor who is trying it find the best course of action for the dislocation in your shoulder."

"Just pop it back in there and I'll be fine," Jane said, shrugging. She winced.

"Some dislocations are worse than others. It's possible that you may need surgery."

"No!" Jane shook her head. "It was just a bump. I'll be fine."

"You're too stubborn for your own good."

The pain in her shoulder increased. Jane closed her eyes and leaned her head back against her pillow. Maura tightened her grip around her hand. Jane felt tears gather on the edges of her eyelids.

"It hurts, Maura."

"It will do," she said, running a hand across her shoulder. "I'll speak to the doctor about upping your pain medication. But we need to be careful because of the pregnancy."

"I promise I won't try to pull a perp down from a fence again," Jane said, squeezing Maura's fingers. "I'll never do it again if you can get me something stronger."

"Maybe you shouldn't be doing it at all," Maura said. "Not in your condition."

"What condition?" Jane narrowed her eyes. "I'm pregnant, Maura. I'm not an invalid. I can still do my job."

"Not with a dislocated shoulder, you can't." Maura leaned in and brushed her lips against Jane's cheek. "At least this means you'll have to rest up for a few weeks."

"I can still work," Jane said, leaning forward. She winced again. "Just as soon as they pop it back in and give me some pain relief."

Cupping her cheeks, Maura kissed her again. "You need to stop wanting to be fixed straight away. It doesn't work like that. The doctor is checking over your scans. They'll be able to assess the best course of action. Then we can discuss whether you'll be able to work."

"Whether I'm able to?" Jane rolled her eyes. "I don't think you understand, Maura. I'm going back to work just as soon as this is fixed."

"I don't want you to."

"Why not?"

"You're carrying our children," Maura said. "Perhaps you should ask to be reassigned to desk duty for the remainder of the pregnancy."

"Are you serious?"

"Why wouldn't I be serious?"

"I'm not a desk cop." She gritted her teeth. "I am homicide detective. I don't sit on my butt waiting for things to do."

"For the next few weeks you won't be doing anything," Maura said. "You will rest, you will listen to the doctor, and you will do as I say."

x

Two hearts beat simultaneously, filling the room with a sound so joyous that Jane's heart skipped a beat. Her shoulder still ached, the latest batch of pain relief barely catching the severity of the damage. But even the pain was shrouded by the sound of their children. Jane smiled at Maura and she squeezed her fingers tightly.

"That's our kids," Jane said.

Maura kissed the top of her head. "It is. How are they doing, Doctor?"

"A-ok," Doctor Ramirez said, removing the device and wiping the gel from Jane's abdomen. "Two health babies who seem to be inside some sort of superhero."

"I ain't no superhero," Jane said, smiling. "I'm just a regular hero."

"And modest too," Maura said.

"Hey," Jane replied, smacking her gently on the arm. "You're worse than me when it comes to self-praise."

"How?"

"You call yourself a genius all the time."

Maura raised her eyebrows. "Genius is a fact corroborated by my high IQ. Hero is a subjective term in this scenario."

"Yeah, yeah."

"Can I take her home?"

The doctor scanned the notes and closed the file. "I see you haven't had an amniocentesis done yet, would you like me to run one now?"

"Yes, please."

"What's that?" Jane asked.

"You remember, we talked about it," Maura said. "It's the test to check for any genetic abnormalities."

"I don't want it."

"Jane."

"No, Maura." She struggled to adjust her position on the bed. Maura slipped an arm around her back. "You said it can detect things we don't want to know about."

Maura helped her to sit a little higher, then cupped her cheek. "Jane, we talked about this. There's things we might not want to know, but the earlier we know, the more forewarned we'll be."

"But if we find out one or both of the babies has something, then what?"

"Then we make an informed decision based on the options presented to us."

"Like termination."

Maura sighed. "I know you don't want to think about these things, but the fact is you're over thirty-five, which increases the chances of conceiving a baby that has some sort of genetic abnormalities."

"Downs Syndrome isn't an abnormality," Jane said. "It's a difference."

"I know." Maura grasped her hand. "I want to believe that our children will have perfect health, and that they won't have any differences that make life more challenging for them. But if, for any reason, they do, I'd like to know."

"But what happens if they do?" Jane asked. "You have never answered me honestly on this."

"Perhaps I should come back," the doctor said.

"No, stay," Jane said. "The conversation is over."

"No, it's not." Maura squeezed her hand tighter. "I'm not asking you to decide if our children should live or die. I'm asking you to take a test that will help us to pre-empt any serious conditions."

"I won't have a termination," Jane said. "In any circumstance."

"I know. I heard you the first time, when we discussed it last week. I'd rather be prepared for challenges, than unprepared. I'm not asking you to do anything but take the test."

"If it helps," the doctor said. "We'll be able to tell you the sex of the babies if you do."

"Already?" Jane asked. "I thought we wouldn't find out until our scan next month."

"Since we're looking at doing the tests, we can hopefully let you know when you get the results. It won't be much before your next scan, but it will be a little sooner."

"Okay." Jane squeezed Maura's hand back. "If we can find out what we're having, then okay."

"Can I take her home after?"

The doctor nodded. "We need to make an adjustment to the pain relief, but yes, you should be able to take Jane home as soon as we're done."

"Thank you."

x

"What the hell?" Jane said, standing in the lounge.

Maura dropped her purse on the couch and stared at the two bassinets in the centre of the room. "Did you buy those?"

"No." Jane sighed. "That woman is going to have no money left if she keeps trying to buy our forgiveness."

"You think they're from Angela?"

"Who else would buy two bassinets and leave them in the middle of the living room?"

Maura rubbed her temple. Her head thumped from the stress of the day. "How easy would it be to ask her to back off, again?"

"Probably not easy at all when she finds out I hurt my shoulder."

Jane slouched onto the couch as the back door opened. Maura pressed her lips together.

"Oh you're home," Angela said. "It's about time. Vince called me hours ago. How could you be so stupid, Janie?"

"Not now, Ma."

"Don't not now me," she said, walking across the room. "You're hurt. How could you do that when you're carrying my grandchildren?"

"Not helping," Jane said.

Angela sat down and wrapped her arms tightly around Jane's shoulders, stopping only when she cried out in pain.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

"I did dislocate my shoulder," Jane said, rolling her eyes. "What the hell are you doing buying things again?"

"I'm trying to say sorry."

"Well, don't," Jane said. "You can take them back to the same shop you tried to buy the changing table from."

Tears welled in her eyes. Maura tried to push her own tears aside, but to no avail. She felt the same depth of feeling about Jane's injury that she anticipated Angela to be feeling in that moment. That wasn't to say that she was willing to forgive her just yet, however.

"Angela," Maura said, standing up and facing her. "This won't fix what you did."

"I know, but I had to do something."

"We appreciate the effort you're making, really we do."

"You do," Jane said, scoffing.

Maura glared at her and folded her arms across her chest. "You need to leave us be for a while. The more you push, the more we want to push back."

"I can't do nothing," she said. "Especially not now my baby is hurt."

"I'm fine, Ma," Jane shouted.

"Really," Maura said. "We'll be okay."

"What can I do to fix this? Please, Maura, tell me how I can make it up to you."

"You can't."

"Oh." Her voice grew small, tears filled her eyes again.

Maura sighed, regretting her choice of words instantly. "Please, just give us some space, and some time, and we'll come back to you on our own."

"Oh. Okay." She backed away slowly. "I'll leave you to it then, I guess."

"Thanks, Ma," Jane said, waving her good arm. Angela nodded her head and turned around, leaving them alone.

Author Note: I swear, if Jane was related to me, I would want to push her shoulder myself with her pig headedness. I can't believe she wanted to chase after that man, even though Maura had already showed how worried she was. But Jane is Jane.