Author Note: Well this wasn't what I planned on doing with my evening, but it is what happened...a new chapter of a story I struggled to reach again. I finally found a way back. I just hope I have enough in me to reach the end of it.

Got any story prompts/ideas? I'm finding myself struggling to write and I think part of it is because right now I don't feel very challenged. So if anyone has any prompts/ideas/challenges to help me - please feel free to PM me! I'm willing to have a go at anything, though I can't always guarantee my brain will cooperate.

"Good morning my sweet, baby girl," Angela said, running her hands across Jane's bump and kissing her on the cheek. "I can't wait til the twins arrive; I can feed them and bathe them and kiss their teeny tiny little toesies."

"Don't ever say toesies again."

"Why not? They are toesies. I can't wait to see their little faces and watch them grow."

"They're our babies, Ma," Jane said, raising an eyebrow.

Maura poured a second mug of coffee and handed it to Angela, sipping her own. She watched Jane, her envy evident by the glare in her eyes. Maura smirked. She'd read the research about coffee during pregnancy; six times. It was difficult not to when Jane handed it to her frequently. Unfortunately for Jane, Maura was not willing to negotiate, despite the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommendation that some coffee was acceptable. It didn't help that she knew full well Jane already received her recommended two hundred milligrams at work, under Frankie's watchful eye.

"That doesn't mean I can't help out." Angela perched on a stool and drank her coffee. "It's hard enough having one baby. Actually no, one baby isn't so bad if they sleep. It's hard enough having Jane Rizzoli as a toddler and a newborn baby. But to have two newborns, at once. You're gonna need a lot of extra help around here."

Jane rolled her eyes. "Gee, thanks Ma."

"With all due respect, Angela," Maura said, placing her empty mug in the sink and running the faucet. "Jane isn't going to be looking after them alone."

"Of course not, but there's only so long you'll be able to take off work."

"Ma." Jane groaned and pushed her plate of eggs aside. She was tired of boring food. Nothing tasted nice without salt and sugar, and Maura had put her on a strictly sugar and salt free diet. She grimaced when Angela picked up her fork and proceeded to eat her breakfast. She felt unnecessarily territorial.

"You have no reason for concern." Maura turned the mug upside down on the rack. "I plan to take a leave of absence for six months to begin with, with the possibility of extending it to twelve depending on our situation."

"I see." She dropped the fork on the plate, picked up her mug and carried it toward the back door, her voice considerably lower than when she came in the kitchen a few minutes before. "I have to get ready for work."

"That doesn't mean we won't need your support," Maura said, loudly enough to turn her back around.

"I'll be here, day and night. Whatever you need, I'm your girl," she said, grinning, as she danced her way out of the house.

"You haven't told her?" Maura asked, the second the door had closed behind her. She folded her arms across her chest and stalked across the room towards Jane.

Jane stared back, a slice of toast hung out of her mouth as she shrugged. Despite having soft toast between her teeth, she spoke. "She's not the easiest person to speak to about these things."

"That is no reason not to tell her. You told her about Silver, was that not a difficult conversation?"

"That was hell." Jane swallowed and took the half eaten toast from her mouth. She tossed it on top of the eggs and looked at Maura. "But that wasn't new news, this is new news. This is the mother of all meltdown news."

"Maybe she'll surprise you."

"Have you met Angela Rizzoli?"

Maura sighed and slouched into the chair beside Jane. "You're nearly five months pregnant, Jane. The final trimester is only weeks away. We have to complete the work on the nursery; Cailin can't sleep in a bedroom full of fresh paint, though I suppose we could set up a temporary bed in the yoga room while we decorate. Before you know it we'll be carrying our daughters' home and you'll have run out of time to have this conversation with her."

"Works for me," Jane said.

"Really?" Maura raised an eyebrow and stared at Jane, until she lowered her shoulders and rolled her eyes. "You are the one, am I not mistaken, who decided she did not want her mother to be living with us once the babies have been born?"

"Yes."

"And are you not the one who groans at the mere discussion of what role your mother can play in the birthing process?"

"How many times do I have to tell you not to call it the birthing process? I'm shoving two watermelons out of the head of a needle, call it what it is; torture."

"Now you're being melodramatic."

"That's my prerogative, Maur, I'm the one who has to do all the hard work."

Narrowing her eyes, Maura stood up and carried Jane's breakfast plate across the room. She emptied the uneaten eggs and toast into the trash and slipped the plate into the dishwasher between her own breakfast bowl and a serving dish from the night before. She chewed on the inside of her lip, conscious of the threat of impending tears. "It's not like I didn't try to become pregnant."

"That wasn't a dig, Maura."

"No?"

"Hey," Jane said, standing up. She walked across the room. Her walk had changed, not entirely noticeably to the outside world, but Jane could feel it. Her stomach felt like a heavy load taped to her stomach, something akin to the boot camp weight training she'd done before joining to Force. Some days she stared at her naked belly, and wondered how humans could birth children, then lose their enlarged abdomen quickly. It seemed like an alien concept. She squeezed Maura's shoulders, despite her attempt to squirm away from her touch. "Don't be like that. I didn't mean it like you heard it."

"That's how I heard it," Maura said. "I can't help if I hear something one way when you meant it another way."

"I know. I'm sorry." She dragged her hand across her back and pulled her in as close as possible with the bump in the way. "I love you. I love that you wanted to be the one who carried our children."

Maura smiled faintly, a slight hint of happiness crept back across her face. Jane bit her bottom lip and stared into her eyes. She trailed her hands across her back, reaching her fingertips under the edge of her pyjama shirt.

Jane kissed across her neck. She groaned, stepped back and rolled her eyes. "Some days I wish you were the one carrying them."

"Do you need to pee again?"

"I gotta God. Damn. Pee. Again," she said, groaning as she fled the kitchen.

x

Cailin sliced into the lung with practiced precision, something which left Maura feeling exceptionally proud about. She stood to one side, watching her every move, analysing her actions, until she snapped off her gloves and joined her.

"You're getting rather good at this," Maura said.

"I'm enjoying it," Cailin said. "The best thing about working at the Medical Examiner's officer is the patients don't talk crap back to you when you accidentally slice into their ear."

Maura gasped. "Did that really happen?"

"Might have done." She shrugged. "It wasn't a real patient, though he was alive and well. I wasn't supposed to be using the scalpel but a few of us were fooling around and…he lost a tiny sliver of skin. No biggy."

"No biggy?" Maura stepped back, gobsmacked. "How did the young man who lost skin feel about it?"

"He laughed, mostly."

"He laughed?"

"Come on, Maura," Cailin said, rolling her eyes. "You can't tell me you didn't have any mishaps in medical school."

"Me? No. Never."

"Never ever?"

"I suppose I have always been the exception to every rule," Maura said, slipping off her gloves and disposing of them. "Have you booked your flight back to Oxford?"

Cailin followed her out of the examination room and into her office. "I leave a week Tuesday."

"To return when?"

"The following Tuesday."

"Is a week long enough to say goodbye to your friends?"

Sitting down behind the desk, Maura motioned for Cailin to take the seat opposite. She clasped her hands together and placed them on the desk, her brow furrowing slightly.

"I know you're going to be starting medical school here next term."

"We've already discussed this."

"In part, yes." Maura picked up a packet of chocolates left by a departing colleague and handed it to Cailin. "I want to offer you a part time position, if you're willing to take it."

"Here?"

"Yes."

"When you say part time?"

"It will of course have to fit around your schooling. Whilst I acknowledge it will complement your studies, it's important than you focus on your goals and on achieving all that you need to achieve. I merely want you to have some spare change if you wish to go out with friends."

Cailin scoffed and handed back the packet. "Between my so called father's divorce settlement, Hope's personal wealth and the insurance pay out because of her death, I inherited five million dollars. I don't think I need spare change."

"I know." Maura slipped a chocolate into her mouth and chewed, savouring it for a moment before swallowing. "When I finished college I was given access to a trust fund. Whilst the money was useful, for vacations and for putting a deposit down on a home, I much preferred to earn my own money. I ended up investing most of it."

"You trying to teach me some sort of financial lesson?"

"I'm trying to be the big sister I should be and give your opportunities that can only seek to improve your chances in life, whilst also warning you of the dangers of relying on a finite amount of money."

"You're doing that thing again," Cailin said, standing up.

"What thing would that be?" Maura asked. She stepped around the desk and waved her hands, motioning for Maura to stand up. "What is this?"

Wrapping her arms around Maura's back, Cailin pulled her in close, squeezing her tightly before kissing her on the cheek and holding her at arm's length.

"I'm not sure how I'd have gotten through the last few months if it wasn't for you."

"You'd have managed," Maura said.

"I doubt it."

"You're a strong young woman with a bright future."

"Even brighter with you in my life." She cupped Maura's cheeks and lowered her hands to her sides. "Have I ever told you that I love you?"

She stepped back. "Yes, you have."

"I have?" Cailin shrugged and returned to her seat across the desk. "Yeah, well, I probably mean it more now. You're a pretty cool big sister."

"Well, thank you, Cailin." Maura seated herself as well. She paused a moment, then smiled at Cailin. "I love you too. Sometimes I wonder what my life would have been like if I'd had siblings, when I grew up. Having you here will never answer that question, but I can at least know what it's like from now."

"You're doing it again."

"Doing what?"

"Speaking properly," Cailin said, putting on a posh accent.

"How else am I meant to speak?"

"I dunno, I guess it takes some getting used to." She shrugged again. "It's like Mom, I forget things sometimes and it makes me sad. Then I listen to you talking, and I know you didn't grow up with her as your mother, but you're so alike and it makes me smile."

x

"Thanks for driving me, Ma," Jane said, pushing open the door of the clinic. "I'd have driven myself but last time they drew blood I nearly fainted. Something to do with my blood sugar, or my blood pressure, Maura knows better than I do. The doctor said it'd probably be fine by the third trimester, but you know Maura, she's overcautious."

Angela rubbed her arm and trailed her hand down to her side as they set off down the sidewalk. "You know I'll do anything for you, Janie."

"We appreciate it, all four of us."

She took her keys out of her purse and pressed the button, unlocking the car a few feet away. Jane climbed into the passenger seat, beside Angela, and sat back. She massaged the sides of her bump. She'd never really felt a single baby kicking before, but she expected the dual-kick from both sides was quite something.

Belting up, Angela turned to face her. She grinned, staring at her hands on her bump, before she dived in for the kill. Jane bit her tongue in an attempt to shut herself up. She hated people touching her, excepting Maura, and her mother was particularly bad at doing so without even asking.

"That's enough touching," Jane said, pushing Angela's hands away from her bump. She slid her fingers across it, wrapping them around the shape so unfamiliar that Jane wasn't sure she'd ever get used to it. She certainly would never get used to people wanting access to it.

Angela sat back in her seat at the table and put the keys in the ignition. For a moment, silence drifted between them. Jane searched her mind for the words she wanted to say, for the words she could say, and for the words she needed to say despite the reaction they would no doubt receive. She didn't know why it was time, it seemed an odd moment, given that they were about to head into traffic, but it felt right.

"I love you," she said. "You know I love you, don't you?"

"Wouldn't hurt you to say it more often," Angela said. The car rolled forward. Angela glanced around her, checking her mirrors before she set off across the parking lot. Jane frowned. Sighing, Angela's expression softened. "But I know."

"The thing is, it's getting kind of crowded at home."

"Crowded how?" Angela asked, glancing at Jane briefly then returning her attention to the road ahead.

"With you and Caitlin living there, and it won't be long before the babies arrive."

"Nobody ever said no to an extra pair of hands with an infant in the house," she said, taking a hand off the steering wheel and waving it around. "And you're gonna have two. Pairs of hands, and infants."

"Ma." Jane sighed. Her eyes filled with tears. She couldn't wait til the day she could get her barriers back. Too many emotions left her feeling drained.

Angela placed her hand back on the wheel, her previous excitement dissipated, and she nodded her head. "You want me to leave."

"What?" Jane sat up a little taller. "I didn't..."

"You were going to though, weren't you?"

She slouched back down in her seat, somewhat apologetic at the way she hadn't quite told her mother. "Yeah...I'm sorry."

"I understand."

"You do?" Jane narrowed her eyes, and leaned forward a little. "I thought you'd get upset."

"I don't know why. You know I've raised three babies. Before you came along my Ma wanted to stay and help, and we let her. She drove me crazy. Before you were three months old we wanted to kill each other." She reached for Jane's hand across the hand break, taking a couple of glances as she spoke. "When Frankie arrived we both agreed it was better for her to stay away. Even if it was a nightmare given you were a difficult toddler."

"I wasn't that bad, was I?"

"You wouldn't sleep. You wanted to play at all hours of the day and night. When Frankie slept, you wanted to play. When I tried to sleep, you wanted to cling to me. When I wanted you to sleep, you kicked your feet until I let you stay up. Of course the second I got you in the car on the way to an appointment, you were fast asleep. No sense."

"Not any better now," Jane said, chuckling. She squeezed Angela's hand. "We don't want you to stay away. We don't want you to go right away either."

"I'll go when you need me to, or I can stay, it's up to you."

A silence fell between them. Angela focused on the road ahead as they drove back to the Police Department. The one thing Jane hated more than people touching her stomach was turning up late to work because of an appointment. It was bad enough that her colleagues had started treating her like eggshells now she was showing. She hated sympathy. She hated people staring at her for daring to reproduce, and she hated the snide comments some of the older men made when she tried to ask them to do something with the bowling ball between them.

"I expected you to be more upset," she said.

"I know I smother you." Angela paused. Jane could hear the sadness in her voice, she hated it. "I don't mean to. I just want what's best for you. You're my baby and now you're having your own babies."

"Don't cry."

"I'm not crying," Angela said. She rubbed her fingertips across her eyelids and stared ahead. "Much."

"You can have my apartment."

"No, Janie, I couldn't do that."

"Why not? I don't need it. Once it's packed up I'll officially be living with Maura. I don't wanna keep going back and forth. But I can't sell it, I don't want to sell it. If you don't live there I'll have to find a tenant and I really don't wanna be a landlord."

"Okay." Angela signaled left and turned into a side road. "How soon do you want me out?"

"Maura really wants everything sorted before the babies arrive. Caitlin's going to move into the guesthouse."

"That makes sense."

Frowning, Jane waited a moment to make sure her mother's reaction wasn't about to change dramatically. "You're not upset about that?"

"Why would I be?" She pulled over and shut off the engine. "She's her sister. They're reconnecting."

"What did you do with Ma, and how did you get away with replacing her with some kind of cyborg?"

She tapped Jane gently on the arm. "Don't be so ridiculous, Janie. I think you underestimate me sometimes."

"I guess I do."

"I'll start packing my things up right away."

"Me and Maura are gonna sort out the apartment at the weekend. You can move your stuff in next week, then you can come and stay for a few weeks after we've got settled with the babies."

"No."

"No?" Jane rubbed the right side of her bump as the babies kicked it from the inside. "I thought you'd jump at the chance."

"We'll be worse than me and my Ma. It won't work."

"I thought you'd want to help out."

"I do, and I will, but I'm not gonna come back and live with you."

"Okay." Jane leaned forward, enveloping her mother in her arms. She smirked. "If that's what you want."

"Don't think I don't know you're happy about it," Angela said, wrapping her arms tightly around her shoulders.

Jane pulled away. "Do you just have eyes everywhere?"

"You'll see," she said. "When your twins are older, you'll understand me better."