This is going to be the last chapter so it is a bit longer but I hope you enjoyed the story! Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, favorited and followed me and my story. I am so forever grateful for your support. This was my first story since I've been back on FFN (it's been at least a year) so I'm just getting my groove back. Enjoy!
Eight months had passed since the Boston Homicide Unit welcomed five abused, homeless children into their little family. Maura and Frankie had slowly fallen into the roles of parents and agreed after a couple weeks that yes, this is what they wanted and they submitted the paperwork for adoption. Their love for each other was stronger than ever and their love for their children was growing stronger day by day. They had found a wonderful home on Beacon Hill for them to buy. Frankie had originally wanted to rent first, but the wealthy doctor was having none of it.
"This is our first home together! I want it to be ours." She had argued and Frankie, who was helpless to deny his girlfriend anything agreed in the end. But he winced as he looked over his bank account. A cop salary was nothing in comparison to Maura's doctor salary. She made much more than Frankie and it made him very uncomfortable. After many arguments and lectures, they purchased the house and Maura made it up to Frankie by allowing him to have his own "man cave" where he can set up his video games and baseball memorabilia. And she allowed him to take her to a fancy restaurant once a month so he felt like he could measure up to her luxurious lifestyle.
"It's highly unnecessary." She tried to reason with him one afternoon as the team all gathered in their new house for some family time together. "I love you Frankie. I don't care how much money you do or don't have. Just promise to never leave me?" she whispered as she kissed him. Frankie growled and pulled her tightly against him.
"I couldn't leave you even if I tried. I love you. I'd do anything just to see you smile." He told her and rejoiced as she grinned like a woman head over heels for him.
"Knock it off you two!" Jane interrupted them as she struggled to get a box of Maura's jewelry upstairs. Frost rushed to help her. Maura bit her lip, looking almost apologetic but Frankie dismissed his sister by throwing a soft Nerf football at her.
"Stop it both of you!" Angela scolded as she and Ginny entered with Emily in tow. "Who wants bunny pancakes?" she asked her now grandchildren. At the mention of food, Mason and James scrambled to the kitchen followed by Kelsey who was trying to convince her brothers that she should be allowed to play basketball with them.
"You're a girl! You can't play with us." James told his twin as they pushed Ginny aside to wash their hands.
"Hey now! Girls can play basketball!" Jane argued for Kelsey.
"See? Told you!" Kelsey said as she in turn pushed her brother out of the way to wash her hands.
"Your father, Uncle Tommy and I used to play basketball together growing up." Jane reminisced.
"Didja win?" Kelsey asked as she looked up at her Aunt Jane in complete adoration.
"Yeah, every time!" Frankie interjected as he picked Emily up, making the little girl squeal with delight. "We would go out and play basketball and she would say, 'don't worry guys, I'll take it easy on you.' And she beat out butts!" he told them. Everyone laughed at that but it surprised no one that Jane's competitive nature wouldn't allow her brothers to win a game of basketball.
"Will you teach me how to play basketball, Daddy?" Emily asked shyly. The room went silent as they all realized what just happened. This was the first time any of the children had acknowledge Frankie or Maura as their "mom and dad." They've always been "Mr. Frankie and Ms. Maura." Maura held her breath as she waited for Frankie to respond to the little girl's question. Frankie was stunned and speechless as he searched for the words. He and Maura had agreed they wouldn't push their role of parents on the kids till they were ready. The room was so silent you could hear a pin drop.
Frankie looked over at the other kids who were looking back and forth from Maura and Frankie. They had certainly caught onto what Emily had said and were not sure how to respond. But Mason finally smiled shyly at him.
"Yeah Dad, you have to teach her how to play properly." He broke the silence, smiling over at Frankie, accepting him as his father. Frankie puffed out his chest proudly.
"Yeah and Mommy can teach me all about the skeleton, right Mommy?" Ginny followed her brother's lead and skipped over Maura and took her by the hand. James and Kelsey grinned at each other. The kids knew Maura and Frankie were their parents now but this was the first time they had truly accepted it. Frankie hugged Emily, promising her that he would definitely show her how to play basketball. Maura looked over at Frankie and she knew she was going to love being called "Mom" by these kids.
Angela, Jane and Frost all shared smiles as they witnessed the beautiful scene. "Oh goodness, you guys are going to make me cry!" Angela said as she quickly dabbed her eyes with the towel.
"Ma! Don't cry!" Jane said as she shook her head and hugged her mother. Maura picked Ginny up in her arms and said, "I would love to teach you all about the skeleton." She promised. Ginny hugged her around the neck and buried her little face in the doctor's soft hair.
"Come on everyone! We're making dinner, bunny pancakes for everyone!" Angela announced as she turned back to the kitchen.
"Yes!" Frost bumped fists with James; they were big fans of the bunny shaped pancakes.
The family began moving through the kitchen and began helping Angela fix up dinner. "Don't forget fresh fruit!" Maura reminded them as she brought out a bowl of fresh watermelon. Jane groaned in protest but decided as "Aunt Jane" she needed to set a good example for the kids and grabbed some bowls and began serving up the sliced fruit.
Sean and Korsak were headed over to Frankie and Maura's new home after a hard day at work. They had mountains of paperwork to finish and had just completed it. They were just pulling up the driveway, carefully avoiding the kid's bike left in the driveway, when they saw Rondo, Jane's CI, heading up the front steps, carrying a bouquet of flowers, wearing his God-awful honey mustard colored suit and walking with a teenage girl.
"Rondo!" Korsak called out to the man. The retired jazz musician turned and smiled at the sight of the two men heading towards them. "Good evening Mr. Korsak and Mr. Cavanaugh." The ever polite man greeted them.
"You joining us for dinner?" Korsak asked as he shook Rondo's hand who nodded and tilted his hat.
"Doctor Vanilla invited me to dinner tonight and she said to bring Dawnya." He introduced the young scholar to them, each shaking her hand.
"Nice to meet you." Cavanaugh said shaking her hand and Rondo's before ringing the doorbell. James appeared with a big smile on his face.
"Mr. Rondo! Grandpa Cavanaugh! Grandpa Korsak!" he yelled, not sure which one to hug first so he hugged all at once which proved to be a difficult task for the young boy.
"Come in!" Maura said as she held the door open for her family. "Dawnya!" she exclaimed, thoroughly excited to see her young mentee. She hugged her tightly and turned to Rondo who held out the flowers to her.
"Thank you Doctor Vanilla for inviting us to dinner." He said. Maura graciously accepted them and ushered them all in. The family stopped baking to greet Sean and Korsak. Frankie got them beers and the family settled back to their kitchen duties. Dawnya and Kelsey got to work setting the table for everyone while James and Mason showed Rondo their new basketball hoop outside. It was very domestic, the entire scene and it made Maura's heart melt. She turned to her boyfriend and gently wrapped an arm around his waist.
"Hey beautiful." He whispered to her. She kissed him sweetly, allowing her lips to linger before laying her head on his chest and the couple surveyed the scene before them. They watched Angela who had always longed to be a grandma, show Ginny and Emily how to make her famous bunny pancakes. Frost, Korsak and Sean were settled in front of the TV with their beer, watching the baseball game and shouting at their opposing team. Dawnya was showing Kelsey how to fold the dinner napkins like little crowns and the girls were laughing up a storm as Kelsey told Dawnya her jokes. Outside, they could see that James, Mason, Jane and Rondo had split into two teams and were paying a game of basketball.
"You better watch out, Vanilla! We're gonna kick some booty! Ain't that right, James?" Rondo teased. Jane laughed as she and Mason continued to kick their opponent's butts.
"This is perfect." Maura said quietly. For someone who had never had this family interaction growing up, she was over the moon that these were the people, the ones who meant the most to her, that she gets to raise her children around. These kids were her whole life and Frankie was the man she knew without a doubt in the world that she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. She felt him tighten his arm around her waist.
"I love you Maura. And I love this." He said as he gestured to their family. This was where they belonged. With these people; with each other. They smiled at each other before being interrupted by Jane coming through the front door.
"Look who came by!" she exclaimed and Maura smiled with delight as her mother appeared behind Jane, carrying a potted plant.
"Mother!" Maura disentangled herself from Frankie to give her mother a hug.
"Darling, I heard you had moved and that you had some huge news to share with me? I hope it's ok that I just stop by?" she asked almost shyly. But for Maura, who had always longed for her mother to spend more time with her, shook her head.
"Of course it's ok! But how did you know I moved and had news…?" she asked, perplexed as she hugged her mother.
"Well Angela said-" she broke off as Angela made a squeak from the kitchen.
"Ma! Stop interfering!" Frankie and Jane scolded. Maura laughed and for once, didn't mind that Angela stepped in. Constance laughed as Angela greeted her with a hug as well.
"This is for you dear, a house warming gift for you." Constance held out the plant to Maura who immediately found a place for it.
"You must tell me what has happened? Why did you move and who's kids are these…?" Constance worried, just as every good mother should. Maura took a deep breath as she thought of where to start. Her mother still didn't even know about her and Frankie
But before she could answer, Angela saved her by announcing dinner.
"We made breakfast for dinner!" Emily announced proudly as she helped carry the plate of bunny pancakes. Ginny followed with a plate of bacon and sausage and Angela with warm scrambled eggs. "These ones are veggie sausage for you Mom." Ginny told Maura.
"Mom?" Constance thought. Since when did her daughter have a child? 'Or 5 children?' she thought to herself. She looked around to see so many faces she did not recognize. 'Who on earth dressed that man?' she eyed Rondo's suit.
"Mother, I have so much to explain." Maura noted Constance's hesitancy. Constance laughed nervously.
"Have I really missed so much? You are a mother…?" she asked her daughter, who immediately started breathing heavy.
"Well, that was more recent. Like within the last couple months." Jane helped her best friend out, knowing Maura was starting to panic that it dawned on her that her mother was here and she wasn't given at least a 72 hour notice to clean and have a 10 course meal prepared.
"Maybe we should start from the beginning? With introductions?" Angela suggested.
"Agreed, but first pass the bunny pancakes!" Frankie said. The men around the table nodded enthusiastically and it was silent while everyone helped themselves for the next 10 minutes.
"I've never had breakfast for dinner." Constance observed.
"I hope it's ok, Mother. I wasn't really expecting you or I certainly would've prepared for you." Maura said apologetically but her mother laughed it off.
"Darling, I dropped by without any notice so I have no complaints! I've actually always wanted to try breakfast for dinner." she confessed to Kelsey who giggled. "But, please, I am dying to know about these lovely kids!" she prompted conversation as Emily passed her the bowl of fruit, giving the older lady her best charming smile.
I'm Emily and I'm 4 years old." She said proudly. "And that's my sister Ginny, she's 6. James and Kelsey are 10. They're twins. And Mason is 12." She told Constance, her little fingers working hard to cut her pancakes at the same time she talked just like Frankie taught her. "And Mommy and Daddy adopted us." She ended, stuffing a huge bite of pancake in her mouth as if telling such news was an everyday task for her.
Constance opened her mouth but closed it and looked to Maura for an explanation. Frankie took Maura's hand in his, giving her a slight squeeze, encouraging her. His gesture did not go unnoticed by Constance.
"A couple months ago, my next door neighbor's house blew up. The blast exploded half of my home so the bomb squad was able to get out most of my possessions but I needed to find a new place to live. And these kids," Maura gestured to her children. "They were found in the shed in the back out of harm's way. And they had no parents and after a month and no one stepped forward to take them, Frankie and I decided to adopt them. They are ours now. And then we decided to find a new home big enough for all of us. So we bought this place and we've been slowly moving in, getting furniture and clothes and such for the kids, getting them enrolled in school. I've been working on and off but will soon be training my personal assistant to help Dr. Pike when he takes over so I can be a mother to these kids."
"What?"
"Pike is taking over?"
"Since when?"
You're going to train a personal assistant?"
The room exploded with questions at Maura's announcement. She turned who Frankie who nodded back at her. "Yes. I am going to be training a new assistant so that in 6 months I can leave for maternity leave and I want to be able to spend as much time with my kids as possible." She told them, her hand intertwined with Frankie resting over her belly.
"You're pregnant?"
"What?"
"Oh, Maura! Oh, Frankie!" Angela sobbed, the fact that she was going to have another grandbaby made her nearly cry again.
"Good job, man! Knocking up the Medical Examiner!" Frost congratulated Frankie and was immediately slapped upside the head by Sean. "Show some respect!" Korsak snorted in his napkin.
Maura grinned at everyone's surprise but looked to her mother and their eyes met. Constance was beyond proud of her daughter. Maura was stronger than she ever was and was able to put her kids before her job and Constance had never felt such pride for anything. She looked around at Maura's family. This circle of dysfunctional members were more of a family to her than she or her father had ever been. She was so grateful to Angela who Constance knew had stepped up and adopted Maura as one of her own so to speak. Jane and Frost were her best friends. Korsak and Sean were definitely fatherly figures in her life, how this "Rondo" man fit in, she wasn't sure but accepted him as part of the family none the less. And these kids… Maura and Frankie stood up and took them under their wings, opening their hearts and home to them. Which meant…
"I'm a grandmother!" she surprised everyone as she leapt to her feet, engulfing her daughter in her arms. Jane burst out laughing at Maura's shocked face as a flood of emotions overwhelmed her.
"Can we call you Grandma then?" Ginny asked. Since this woman was the mother of her mother, it only made sense…
Constance released Maura and knelt down in front of Ginny, holding the little girl in her arms. "You can call me whatever you want to, little one." She said softly, her heart racing as the thought of being a grandmother overwhelmed her.
"Now we have a Grandma Angela and a Grandma Constance!" Emily piped up from her seat next to Frankie, a big grin on her face.
"And a Grandpa Korsak and Grandpa Sean!" Ginny said.
"And Aunt Jane!" Kelsey added.
"And Uncle Frost and Uncle Rondo!" James grinned.
"Did you hear that, Vanilla? Uncle Rondo is in da house!" Rondo grinned, happy to be involved in their family. Jane groaned and rolled her eyes.
"Ok, then as 'Uncle', you get to take on babysitting duties." She fired back.
"I'm sorry, baby-what?" Rondo looked confused. The table burst out laughing at the look of confusion of the poor man's face.
"And the best part is, we have a Mom and Dad…" Mason added quietly. He got up and wrapped his arms around Frankie and Maura. "I love you Mom and Dad." He whispered in their ears. Frankie and Maura held their son in their arms and was soon joined by James, Kelsey, Emily and Ginny.
"And Dawnya!" Kelsey shrieked, making everyone jump. Kelsey didn't want to forget about her new friend who was oh so polite enough to show her how to fold napkins. Dawnya grinned and accepted a welcoming hug from the little girl.
"Speaking of Dawnya, I have an offer for you." Maura said mysteriously as she looked over at the young med student. The team had worked together to make sure she put that big brain of hers to good use so Dawnya was currently enrolled at BCU.
"How would you like to train to be my new personal assistant? I want you to work closely with Dr. Pike when I leave. You'll be able to get hands-on training and when you graduate you will have a stable and secure job. I would be more than willing to train you before I leave for my maternity leave. And I could even offer tutoring or such throughout your schooling and-"
She was cut off as the excited young woman jumped up and hugged her. "Oh my goodness! Yes! I would be so honored to learn under you!" Dawnya was almost moved to tears. Jane smiled at her best friend. She knew Dawnya was going far in life and this incredible job offer secured the young woman's future.
"But one thing still hasn't been discussed…" Constance stated as she finished off the last of her bunny pancake. "You two." She said her eyes sparkling as she looked at Maura and Frankie.
Even though everyone else at the table knew about their relationship, Maura blushed. She had never introduced a man to her mother or father. But Frankie was the most important person in her life and she was proud to show him off.
She took Frankie by the hand and kissed him softly. "Mother, this is my boyfriend, Frankie Rizzoli. He's Jane's brother and Angela's son. And he's the love of my life." She added softly, needing Frankie to understand how much she cared for him. But it was unnecessary; Frankie already knew.
"I love her too. More than anything." He assured Constance as he took pulled Maura into his lap. The happy couple kissed, sealing their love for each other. And it was here, in front of their friends, family and children that Frankie knew it was the perfect moment for this.
He gently stood up and switched places with Maura so she was sitting in front of him. And he knelt down on one knee as he pulled out a little velvet box.
Angela gasped and Jane poked her in the ribs to silence her.
"Maura Dorthea Isles. I am head over heels for you. I love you so much and these past years we've known each other, I've gotten to know you in the best ways. I know you. I've seen you at your best, at your worst, fought off all your other boyfriends, protected you from danger, comforted you when you were sad and I've been there to share happy moments. And we could have a lifetime of moments. I am crazy about you and I would be the happiest man alive if you would be my wife. Maura, will you marry me?" Frankie ended as he gazed up at his girlfriend with complete love and adoration. He slowly opened the box to produce the most beautiful diamond ring she had ever seen. But she didn't care about the ring, only the man offering it. What he saw melted his heart. His gorgeous Maura had tears in her eyes, but they were happy tears. She was happy! And the fact that he put those tears of happiness there almost made him leap for joy. And if she said yes he'd sped the rest of his life making her happy just to see her look at him the way she was looking at him now.
Her eyes never left Frankie's as she slowly slipped her arms around his neck. She rested her forehead on his and kissed him fully on the mouth, pouring every ounce of passion, love and commitment in it that she could. She was ready to commit herself completely to this man and their children.
"Yes! Of course, yes! Frankie, I love you too!" she half whispered, half sobbed as he pulled her lips to his, their kiss melting the hearts of everyone in the room. The room exploded with claps, whistles, cheers and tons of hugging from everyone.
Angela, who had been on the verge of tears all evening finally broke down and sobbed as she pulled her kids in for a hug. "Ma! I can't do all this hugging!" Jane squirmed but Mama Rizzoli held fast. Maura was pulled into a tight embrace from Constance and was soon released only to find herself being hugged by Korsak.
"You'll walk me down the aisle?" she asked the seasoned Sergeant who was like a father to her. Korsak puffed out his chest, honored beyond words that Maura would ask him.
"It would be an honor." He said gruffly, hugging her tightly.
When everyone was done with their hugs, congratulations and kisses the family moved into the living room to finish off their evening. It had been a big evening for the family. So much changed and yet they would always be the same: they were a family. Everyone from Rondo to Constance, from James to Dawnya. They were family. Maura leaned back against the kitchen counter as she watched them all. The kids had pulled out a board game and she watched lovingly over her family. She would never get tired of hearing the sound of her children's laughter, the sight of her mother being "grandmotherly" with them, of Frankie being an amazing father. Her hand caressed her belly as she thought of the new life they would be welcoming into their family. She and Frankie were going to have their own child to add to their bunch. She was nervous and excited to be closing the door on one chapter of her life but opening the door to another. Her time as a medical examiner had come to an end and now she was beginning motherhood. Dawnya and Dr. Pike would do well together as Dawnya didn't take crap from anyone and she was a bright, fast-learning young student. And Maura was definitely going to put "Uncle Rondo" to work with babysitting, it would be a good way for him to earn some money…
Frankie came up behind her and slowly wrapped his arms around her waist, holding his fiancée tightly. "What are you thinking about, my love?" he asked quietly, planting kisses along her shoulder. Maura turned in his arms, holding him tightly.
She gazed up at him and whispered, "You know what, sweetheart? We're going to be just fine. All of us."
The End.
