A.N. Thank you for sticking with it, and thank you so much for all of your lovely reviews – they really make my day and encourage me to keep writing. I never would have made it this far if it wasn't for all you lovely readers! This chapter is a filler chapter really; I hope it isn't too boring, I just needed to find a way to get this story where I wanted it to be! I have lots (and lots!) of ideas for future chapters but I have been struggling to actually turn them into something!

I also wanted to share with you a few songs I had in mind when writing this chapter, so I have written these in brackets before each relevant scene.


Maura. She's the first thing I think about every day. How is she? Does she miss me like I miss her? If I went home, would she be happy to see me? Would she ever forgive me? And then, another day without her begins. Another crappy day in another crappy life.


(All About Your Heart – Mindy Gledhill)

Waking up next to Maura was like a dream. I admired the sleeping woman lying next to me. I studied her face, her serenity as she slept. Her honey blonde hair fanned out across the pillow, her flawless skin practically glowed, and a delicate smile flitted across her lips.

'God, my girl is beautiful. Inside and out.' I thought to myself, totally and completely entranced.

I wanted to place a soft and tender kiss upon her slightly parted lips, but at the same time, I didn't want to wake her. Instead, I let my eyes trail down to her camisole-clad chest, and watched as she breathed. My gaze drifted to her exposed shoulder; it was speckled with light freckles and I also noticed that tiny goosebumps covered her skin. I gently tugged the duvet upwards and draped it over Maura's shoulders. I couldn't resist the urge to press a soft kiss against her shoulder. Her skin felt so soft and warm against my lips. I draped my arm protectively over waist and sighed contently. I loved feeling this close to Maura. I loved the way her warm skin felt against my own, how safe I felt within her embrace, and how calm I felt just listening to her breathing. I loved everything about being with her.

I felt Maura stir and she mumbled as she slowly gained consciousness. I smiled as I pressed a light kiss against the corner of her mouth.

"Good morning sleepyhead."

Maura turned her head to look at me and smiled sleepily.

"Mmm, good morning." She yawned daintily.

I placed another kiss over her pulse point and nuzzled into her neck. Maura turned onto her side to face me and I felt myself get lost in her eyes. They glimmered in the morning sunlight and the golden flecks appeared to dance. She wrapped her arm around my waist and pulled me closer. I smiled as I felt her stroke her fingertips over my back. It was almost like she was tracing every detail, every line, every muscle, and every vertebrae of my spine. Maura smiled broadly and leaned in to kiss me. Her lips moved slowly against my own, and the kiss was passionate, sweet, and soft. Nobody had ever kissed me like that before.

"Wow." I sighed involuntarily.

Maura chuckled in response and raised one hand to cup my cheek. Her thumb circled my cheekbone, leaving a tingling sensation in its path. I felt the corners of my mouth curve upwards and watched as Maura's lips mimicked my own. The moment was so peaceful and beautiful and perfect.

Suddenly, the piercing sound of Maura's alarm filled the room. Maura brought both hands up to her face and rubbed her eyes. She growled as she rolled onto her back.

"I'm sorry, I don't speak bear!" I joked.

"I just wish we could stay here, like this, forever." She sighed.

"I know."

I scooted towards her again and kissed her cheek.

"Do you think Tommy and Lydia will notice if we're not there?"

"Jane! Lydia made me her maid of honour… I think she's going to notice when she's standing at the altar all by herself!" Maura huffed.

"She won't be all by herself, she'll have Tommy!"

Maura shook her head and chuckled again.

"How'd you get the gig anyway? Aren't you supposed to choose your best friend or something?" I asked with genuine curiosity.

I didn't realise that Maura and Lydia were so close. Sure, there was that one time when we went to her birthing class with her…

"So, Lydia. What do you like to do?" I smiled politely.

"Oh, you mean, like, hobbies? Well, I don't really have any." She replied simply.

There was an uncomfortable silence after that. I guess this whole bonding thing was going to be harder than I thought.

"Well, where do you like to go? The beach? The mountains?" Maura chimed in.

Thank god she came with me… I couldn't bear the thought of taking Lydia to a Lamaze class by myself. Actually, come to think of it, I would never have taken Lydia to a birthing class. Period. This was Maura's idea! This was her fault!

"The mall! I like the one in Wrentham. No sales tax!" She chirped happily.

Maura looked a little confused but nodded anyway.

"Fine, let's pretend you're in Wrentham." She chuckled.

"What am I doing?" Lydia asked, staring at Maura questioningly.

Oh boy. I cleared my throat.

"Lydia – um, have you thought about, you know, getting some tests done to figure out who the father is?" I asked gently and Maura smiled supportively.

"No, it's not important."

"I mean, I think it's good to know." I added.

"I don't."

Maura and I exchanged disapproving looks and turned to face the instructor.

"Cool, I'm at the mall… I'm in Hotdog Haven." Lydia exhaled before laughing. "I love their outfits!"

"Yes!" Maura beamed. "Yes, the bright colourful ones with the hats like Cat in the Hat!" Maura gestured and chuckled.

"Maura!" I stated sternly.

"And now a contraction begins. Sit behind your partner and massage her back." The instructor softly and soothingly explained.

Maura and I locked eyes. There was no way I'd be sitting behind Lydia and massaging her back! Lydia was either having my brother's baby, or my father's love child… She wasn't my responsibility! So, I frowned at Maura and gestured for her to do it!

Lydia glanced over at Maura and Maura smiled reluctantly before shuffling behind Lydia. I was so glad that Maura complied because it meant that I didn't have to do it!

"You know, um, after the baby is born, you could have a paternity test." I informed with a smile.

"No." Lydia shook her head as Maura continued to work on her back.

"I wanna do a water birth." She added dreamily.

"Okay, listen to me. I don't want you telling my mother what you did. It could really hurt her, alright?" I responded harshly.

Lydia turned back to look at Maura.

"Can you massage me just a little bit lower?" She asked with a smile

They did have to get pretty friendly with each other… I guess you could count that as a bonding experience! Oh, and Maura did help ma with the baby shower, and she did help Lydia when she was slipping into a diabetic coma. Who knows, maybe they got even closer while I was away… I mean, they don't have anything in common, but Maura has such a big heart and she is nice to everybody.

"Lydia doesn't really have any female friends." Maura explained.

"What a surprise!" I exclaimed sarcastically.

Maura frowned at me and shook her head.

"I should go and take a shower." She sighed.

"No! You don't wanna do that… You wanna stay here, with me!" I smirked devilishly before kissing her passionately.

It was impossible to ignore the electricity, the sparks that I felt every time I locked lips with Maura.

"I'm going to take a shower now." Maura beamed as she broke away from the kiss.

"Fine, I'll see you when you're done." I sighed miserably.

"Or you could join me. I could really use some company, if you don't mind." She added suggestively.

"If I don't mind?! Is the Pope Catholic?!" I joked, quickly jumping up and following Maura into the bathroom.


"Remind me again why we couldn't get dressed at your place?"

"Because our dresses would wrinkle in the car."

"Yeah, but now we have to get undressed and dressed again!" I complained.

"Yeah, mommy. I want to wear my dress now!" Rosa whined.

"See! She gets it!"

"Jane! She's four. Of course she wants to wear her pretty dress all day!"

Maura hopped out of the car and helped Rosa out of her car seat. She took Rosa by the hand and began to walk towards the church.

"I guess I'm carrying all our dresses then!" I huffed and Maura turned around to smirk at me.

As we entered the vestibule, I noticed that T.J. was pacing the floor. He was dressed in a black suit, white shirt, and bow tie. He looked very dapper and was clearly taking his responsibilities as ring bearer very seriously.

"Hey T.J.!" I called out as I dumped our dresses in Maura's arms.

"Aunt Jane!"

T.J. ran towards me and I wrapped my arms around him.

"Wow! Look at you! You look so handsome, little man." I exclaimed as I ruffled his hair.

"Thank you. I look like a penguin! Pretty neat, huh?" He beamed.

"Sure is, kiddo! Where's your mom?"

"She's in there." He pointed to one of the doors. "She's pimping herself and Nona's helping!" He added.

Maura and I exchanged glances.

"T.J., I really hope you mean primping." Maura replied.

"Well, this is Lydia we're talking about!" I scoffed quietly, making sure that Maura was the only one to hear me.

"Thank you T.J." Maura smiled at T.J. before ushering me and Rosa into the next room.

Lydia looked flustered as Ma flapped around her. Ma was in her formal clothes, however, Lydia was sitting at the dressing table in her robe.

"Lydia, what's wrong?" Maura asked as she rushed to Lydia's side.

"What isn't wrong?! Everything is wrong!" She bawled.

"Oh honey, that's not true. You're marrying the man you love today, and sure, a few little things aren't perfect, but that's just life."

Ma's attempts to soothe her were failing miserably.

"My dress has a huge rip in it and my mom's car broke down… Stupid hunk of junk! She might not even make it to the wedding! Those are hardly little things, Angela!" Lydia yelled as she batted ma's hands away.

"Jane? Can you please help Rosa get ready?" Maura asked politely before focusing her attention on Lydia.

"I'm sure your mother will be able to find a way to get here and as for your dress, I can fix that. By the time I've finished with it, you won't even be able to tell it was ripped." Maura explained calmly, placing her hand on Lydia's shoulder.

"Really? But you work with dead people! You're not a – a… whatever you call someone who makes dresses!"

"A seamstress and you're right, I don't make dresses for a living, but I have mastered the art of surgical suturing." Maura smiled.

Suddenly the atmosphere shifted and everyone seemed to relax. I took Rosa into the corner and unzipped the bag that was protecting her dress. The dress had a coral coloured skirt and a white bodice with fabric flowers sewn onto it. I could see why Rosa couldn't wait to wear it… I mean, it wasn't my kind of thing but it was definitely Rosa's! It was pink(ish) and flowery… What more could she want?! I turned away from Rosa as she got changed. I glanced over at Maura as she carefully stitched Lydia's dress. Her brow furrowed and she tugged her lower lip between her teeth as she concentrated. The subtle actions were so cute and endearing.

"Aunt Jane? Can you please do up my bow?" Rosa asked as she tapped me on the back.

"Sure, buddy." I smiled as I turned around to help her.

"All done, Princess Rosa!"

Rosa giggled and thanked me.

"Aunt Jane? Can I go and play with T.J. now? Please?" She begged.

"Sure, buddy. Just don't get lost, okay?"

Rosa nodded and happily skipped away. I put on my own dress and high heels. I'd chosen a mid-length, tight-fitting navy dress. It wasn't overly dressy but it looked nice enough.

"Janie, come over here and I'll do your hair!" Ma called over to me.

"I've already done my hair, ma." I sighed.

"Oh, well, then let me fix it for you!"

"Ma!"

"Jane Clementine Rizzoli! It is your baby brother's wedding day… You want to look nice in the wedding photos, don't you?!"

"I guess." I huffed and folded my arms.

"Then get your ass over here so that I can fix that mane of yours!"

"Fine."

I heard Maura laughing, so I turned towards her.

"Yeah, yeah. Laugh all you want, but remember… You're next!" I whispered in her ear and watched as her face fell.

Ma straightened my hair and it looked so smooth and sleek. I thought she would stop there, but ma had other ideas. She scooped my hair together and put it up in a ponytail. I hated having my hair up and she knew that!

"You look gorgeous, Jane. You should wear your hair up more often!"

"Thanks ma, but I think I'll pass!" I quipped as I got up to leave.

"Janie, wait! Put these on!"

Ma handed me a small jewellery box. It contained a pair of dangly earrings; they were teardrop shaped and sparkled when they caught the light. They were beautiful.

"Ma, I can't take these! They look expensive! What if I break them or lose them?"

"You'll just have to be careful with them! I want you to have them, so you are going to wear them whether you like it or not!"

"Thanks ma." I smiled as I kissed her cheek.

It wasn't long before Lydia's mom arrived.

"Mom! I'm so glad you're here!" Lydia cried.

"Jed gave me a ride." Her mother replied casually, as if it was no big deal.

I decided to sneak out. It felt wrong hanging out with the wedding party when I was just another guest.

Tommy, Frankie, T.J., and Rosa were just outside. Frankie was kneeling down and talking to T.J. I listened to their conversation and struggled to hold back my laughter.

"Sit still! You want to be the second best looking guy in this church don't you!" Frankie asked T.J. as he straightened up his bow tie.

"Second best! T.J.'s the main man! I'm gonna be second best… You'd be lucky to make it into the top ten, Frankie!" Tommy joked.

"Thanks." Frankie scowled at Tommy.

Frankie reached into his pocket and pulled out the box of rings. He opened it up and T.J's eyes widened at the sight.

"Wow! Are those real gold?" He exclaimed.

"Uh-huh! These rings are worth more than all your pocket money for the next fifty years, so don't lose 'em, okay? Your dad can't hold down a job for more than a few weeks and he's poor!" Frankie joked.

"Thanks Frankie. You're my best man… You're supposed to be makin' me look good!"

Rosa seemed a little quiet, so I gestured for her to come and see me.

"Hey buddy, are you okay?"

Rosa just nodded sadly.

I knelt down and placed my hands on her shoulders.

"Come on Rosa, it's me, cool Aunt Jane. And you can tell cool Aunt Jane anything, so why don't you start by telling me what's wrong."

"T.J. said I wasn't important because I don't have a job."

"T.J. doesn't have a job either! He's seven!"

"No, a job in the ceremony. He's the ring bearer and I'm not anything. He said I was a nobody." She sobbed.

"Hey, don't cry. T.J was just being mean, okay? You are not a nobody. You have an extra special job." I explained gently as I wiped away her tears.

"What is it?" She asked between sobs.

"I need you to stay with me because I get really lonely and I don't trust anyone else to keep me company. Can you do that for me?"

Rosa nodded and gave me a watery smile.

"Good." I smiled back as I scooped her up in my arms.

I carried Rosa towards Tommy and balanced her on my hip as I patted him on the back.

"Congratulations, little brother!" I exclaimed.

"Thanks Janie." He beamed.

"Are you nervous?" I asked.

"Are you kidding me?! There is a beautiful woman in there who was crazy enough to agree to marry me… Of course I'm nervous! But it's a good feeling, you know?"

"I think I do." I smiled.

"You guys should probably go and take your seats soon cause it's starting to get pretty crowded. I'll catch you later." Tommy smiled and squeezed my upper arm affectionately.

He walked away to finish getting ready.

"Tommy?" I called after him.

"Yeah, Jane?" He replied softly as he turned to look at me again.

"I'm so proud of you." I stated and offered him a warm smile.

"Thanks Janie. I never thought I'd hear you say that! It means a lot."

Rosa and I sat down on one of the front pews and we were later joined by ma and Lydia's mom. Tommy, Frankie, and T.J. walked down the aisle and waited at the altar with the priest… The same priest that Tommy ran over all those years ago! It's a small, small world!

The music started playing and everyone in the church turned around. Maura gracefully made her way down the aisle. She was wearing a floor-length coral pink dress, her soft waves were flowing down her back, and in her hands she held a bouquet of flowers. She looked so radiant and elegant. My heart danced in my chest as she smiled broadly. She winked at me as she glided past, causing a spike my body temperature and a smile to creep across my lips. Rosa tapped me on the shoulder and started to whisper in my ear.

"Mommy looks like a princess."

"Yes she does, buddy. Your mommy always looks like a princess."

Maura made it to the altar and stood opposite Frankie. It was sweet that Tommy chose him to be his best man. I glanced at Tommy and his face said it all. The pure love there. He was so nervous but you could tell that he was also really, really happy. As Lydia made her entrance, everyone rose from their seats. I know that you're supposed to look at the bride when she makes her giant, grand entrance, but I couldn't tear my eyes away from Maura. She was mesmerising. How could someone be so perfect and not even know it?

"May you all be seated please?" Father Crowley requested.

The ceremony was all a bit of a blur. I was so totally and completely lost in my own thoughts, picturing what it would be like if Maura and I were standing up there, making vows and embarking upon our future together. Would I be wearing a tux (I always wanted to be like James Bond!) or a dress? Or maybe even a Red Sox jersey?! And Maura. There was no doubt in my mind that her dress would be beautiful. What flowers would we have? Would Rosa be the flower girl? Oh, she would look so adorable.

"You may now kiss the bride."


"Oh Jane, wasn't the ceremony perfect?" Maura gushed as she made her way over to me.

"Yeah, it sure was… So, I've already seen ten people I hate, a dozen people I know whose names I can't remember, and a handful of people I don't know but will expect me to know them anyhow. Oh and did I mention that my father is here?! At least there's an open bar." I huffed in Maura's ear as we made our way over to our table.

I pulled Maura's chair out for her and sat down next to her.

"I can't believe he's here." I sighed.

"He's here because his son got married today and Tommy wanted him here." Maura replied, gently squeezing my knee.

"Was ma okay with that?"

"I'm sure it must be difficult for her, but today is about Tommy and Lydia. But look at her-" Maura gestured towards my mother who was laughing with Lydia's mother. "She seems to be handling it all pretty well. Her zygomaticus major muscles are drawing the angle of her mouth superiorly and posteriorly, thus indicating that she may even be enjoying herself."

"Really? I never would have guessed!" I quipped.

Maura playfully slapped my arm and chuckled. Deep down, she was still the same old Maura. She had grown so much, but fundamentally, she was still the same. She was still a genius, but nowadays she was a little less socially awkward and goofy.

"I'm gonna get a beer. You want anything?" I asked.

"No thank you, I think I'll wait until the waiter brings the champagne around." Maura smiled.

"Suit yourself." I replied, placing my hand on her shoulder as I got up to leave.

When I got to the bar, I ordered my beer. I glanced back at Maura who was now joined by Rosa. Rosa had settled herself on Maura's lap and Maura lovingly wrapped her arms around her. They talked and giggled, and it was a joy to watch. The bartender handed me my drink, distracting me for a brief moment. I thanked him and returned my gaze to Maura and Rosa. I waited at the bar for a few minutes because I didn't want to interrupt the tender moment I was witnessing.

(You and Me – Lifehouse)

Before I could make my way back to our table, Tommy and Lydia began their first dance. Everyone else remained seated and there was no way I could sneak back to the table without crossing the dance floor.

"At this time, if you're in love or just love to dance, we'd like you to join Tommy and Lydia on the dancefloor." The DJ announced.

I looked back Maura and our eyes met through the crowd of people, all flocking towards the dancefloor. She smiled at me, making me go weak in the knees. God, that smile, those lips, those eyes, that face. She was irresistible. I had fallen under her spell. Well, I'm not sure if fallen is the right word, I mean, Maura has raised me up higher than I have ever been. Anyhow, I was in a trance. I knew that I was in a room full of people, but I only saw Maura and Rosa. It was almost like we were the only people in the world. I was too far away to hear what either of them were saying, but it looked like Rosa was begging Maura to dance with her. Rosa jumped down from Maura's lap and dragged her onto the dancefloor. They looked so happy and carefree as they danced together. Rosa giggled and grinned the whole time, and Maura did the same. Occasionally, I would catch her eye and she would smile at me lovingly.

What I wouldn't have given to be dancing with Maura. I didn't even like dancing, but Maura did. I should have been the one dancing with her. I should have been proud to show her off in front of our family and friends. Don't get me wrong, I was so proud to call Maura my girlfriend, but a part of me was also scared about what people would think. I had told Maura that I just didn't want to steal Tommy and Lydia's thunder, which wasn't a lie, it just wasn't the whole truth. The song ended as I continued to drink my beer. Alone. Miserably.

"Screw it. You love this girl." I told myself as I slammed my empty glass onto the bar.

(Till the End – Jessie Ware)

I confidently strolled over to Maura, and Rosa scurried away to play with the other kids.

"May I have this dance?" I asked as I held out my hand.

"Jane, what are you doing? You said you wanted to wait, you said that –"

"I know what I said, Maura, but I realised something. I realised that I would never forgive myself if I didn't ask the most beautiful woman in the world to dance with me tonight."

Maura gladly accepted my hand and I pulled her close, the swift action eliciting a sweet laugh from the object of my affections.

"I didn't know you could dance, Jane." Maura smiled.

"I can't. I have no idea what I'm doing!" I confessed.

Maura chuckled and I joined in. What kind of idiot asks someone else to dance when they can't even dance themselves?! That's right, this idiot!

"It's okay, you're doing really well. You're a natural." Maura beamed.

"You're not so bad yourself!" I joked.

Maura was an amazing dancer. She was as graceful as flowers swaying in the wind, and as powerful as the rolling ocean. She was never out of step and I was just following her lead. Our bodies moved together, as one, and it felt so right. Suddenly, I didn't care about what anyone else thought. It didn't matter who approved or who disapproved because I had Maura and she had me, and nothing else really mattered.

"You look stunning, Jane. I wanted to tell you that earlier but I didn't get the chance." Maura stated, causing me to blush.

I didn't really know how to take a compliment, I mean, I'd never really received one before. Not on my appearance anyway.

"This dress feels like a strait jacket, these shoes are killing me and don't even get me started on my hair!" I huffed.

"What's wrong with your hair? I think it looks really pretty." Maura smiled sweetly.

"I hate it. It just feels like I'm trying to be someone I'm not."

"Then I hate it too."

"What?! You just said it looked pretty!"

"Oh, it does. But I don't want you to be someone you're not. I want you to be you. I love you and I think you're perfect, just the way you are."

Maura offered me her signature smile, dimples and all. It was so infectious that I couldn't stop myself from grinning back at her. I leaned in and pressed my lips against hers. Maura responded but kept the kiss PG. We were in a room full of people after all. The moment was so sweet and tender. I am not usually one for PDAs but I didn't care. I wanted to kiss her, so I kissed her. No regrets.

"So, I think people are going to know about us now!" Maura chuckled as she broke away from the kiss.

"You think?!"

"Are you okay?" Maura asked concernedly.

"Yeah, Maur. I'm so much better than okay! I'm like, dancing-on-air happy!" I beamed.

"Good. Me too." Maura replied before capturing my lips again.

"So, now they know." I sighed with relief.

"Now they know. And sure, they'll probably talk about it for a few days –"

"Weeks! Or months even!" I added.

"But then we'll get used to it. And they'll get used to us being together." Maura assured.

Suddenly, I noticed ma rushing towards us.

"Oh boy." I whispered and Maura squeezed my hand supportively.

This was the moment I had been dreading. My mother was a very proud and opinionated woman, and I never failed to disappoint her. All she wanted was for me to have a safe job, a nice house, a kind husband (god, she never stopped trying to set me up with eligible bachelors!), and most importantly, and a couple of kids… I didn't have any of those things!

I was half expecting her to yell at me or something, but she didn't. Instead, she kissed me and Maura on the cheek.

"It's about time! I'm so happy for you two!" She squealed.

"What?! You knew?" I asked in utter shock and disbelief.

Seriously, how did everyone else know that Maura and I had feelings for each other before we did?!

"Of course I knew! I'm your mother! I know everything! I see the way you two act. You're like best friends who are in love. You've always been like that!"

"So you approve then?"

"Of course I approve, Janie! The only thing I disapprove of is how long it took you two knuckleheads to see what was right in front of you!"

Ma pulled us both into a tight hug and I let out a breath I didn't realise I was holding. I couldn't believe how good it felt to have our relationship out in the open and I kind of wished that we'd told everyone sooner. A minute or so later, ma released us and left, leaving us to continue dancing in peace.

"We should probably talk to about our relationship Rosa later."

"Yeah, we should. It'll probably be quite confusing for a four-year-old." I replied.


When we got back to Maura's house, we all settled on the couch. Rosa snuggled in between me and Maura. Maura and I exchanged glances as we prepared ourselves with the complicated task of explaining everything to Rosa.

"Rosa, Aunt Jane and I wanted to talk to you about something." Maura began.

"Is it because you were kissing at the party?"

"You knew about that?" I asked.

I was a little surprised. I thought Rosa wouldn't have noticed because she was so busy playing with T.J. and the other kids. Maybe she heard someone talking about it.

"Yeah, I saw you. You were being all mushy."

"How- how do you feel about that?" Maura asked, equally shocked.

"Fine. I love you mommy, and I love you Aunt Jane. So what if you love each other?" Rosa shrugged.

Wow. That didn't sound complicated at all, and it certainly didn't seem like Rosa was confused.

"You do love each other, don't you?" Rosa asked, her wide eyes twinkling with intrigue.

"We do." Maura and I replied instantly and in unison.

N.B. The flashback with Lydia is from 3X09.