This is the final installment of my winter break Lisbon's nieces story. I figured since my break was ending theirs would be too. This whole piece is very Lisbon centered so it was a little hard to write so make sure to tell me what you think about it. So here you are, enjoy!
Oh and the stuff in italics are Lisbon's common sense/ subconscious I thought that it would kinda sound like Jane so that's who I based it's tone and stuff on. The stuff in bold italics is Lisbon arguing with the voice.
It was the end of the week, they had school the next day and she had to send the girls home at the end of the night. It had been an interesting week with Jane tagging along; the girls were distant but always close at the same time. When they went to the movie the night before the girls wouldn't sit beside the couple they sat just behind them. They had said it was so they wouldn't interrupt, she took that to mean that they wanted to give them the space to "make out", as Abby had put it, but still be close enough where they didn't miss out on "the action".
She wanted their last day to be just them because they hadn't spent as much time together as she would have liked. "Jane I'm going to take the girls out for a spa day."
"Or in other words you want me to leave so you can spend the girls last day here alone."
"Yeah, pretty much."
"What I don't get is why you don't just have the girls live here. Their school isn't far away and they spend enough time here anyway."
She was speechless she hadn't thought of it that way. Why didn't she do that?
"You could probably even adopt them I'm sure there are forms that you could fill out to become their legal guardian."
She took the girls out to the spa but the whole time she was thinking about what Jane had said. Should she adopt the girls? From what she heard on the first night they weren't exactly having an awesome time at home. But was she a fit to be a parent? She had raised the boys but that was before she had a job to think about. She chased these same questions round and round in her head she thought she had finally decided what to do.
But then she thought about Jane and what his job had done to his family. He had antagonized a serial killer and lost his family she wouldn't be able to live with herself if her job caused harm to her girls.
Then again when she looked over and saw them laughing and smiling during their pedicures they looked so happy and care free. When they first got there they didn't look like that, they looked sad which made her think that maybe they would be better if they did stayed with her.
She kept turning it around and around in her head until finally a voice in her head that sounded a lot like Jane said why don't you just ask them?
I can't just ask a group of teenage girls if they want to leave their parents and live with me!
Why not? Lilly and Becky don't even know their mothers and Abby and Kate's mother doesn't like them and they know it. They treat you like a mother already anyway.
They don't think of me as a mother and what about their dads.
Yes they do who is the first person they come to when their having boy trouble or when something happened at school and their dads, well let's face it you know that they would be better off. James gets drunk and hits Becky and tries to hit Lilly and Tommy wouldn't even notice that their gone and you know it.
She knew that she was just arguing with herself but she brought up some valid points. Would they just be better off?
But then she thought of something she hadn't considered. What about Jane? The girls seemed to like him and he liked them but four teenage girls aren't good for a blooming relationship.
Oh now you're just making excuses. If Jane could spend a whole week with these girls then he could make it if you decide to adopt. Not to mention that he was the one who suggested this in the first place.
But what about his daughter what if this reminds him too much of her and he leaves?
Give me a break if he hasn't been scared off by them yet then he isn't going to now.
But what if…
What if, what if, what if! Stop making excuses either ask them or let them go home but make a decision quickly because you need to ask them if they actually want this.
With a sigh she rose and went over to the manicure table that they were all squeezed around. She took a deep breath before she asked the question she had been internally debating all day, "Girls I've been thinking," she paused before she added "what would you think about me legally adopting you?" she said the last part in a rush afraid that if she didn't she would lose her nerve.
For some reason she expected laughter so she was worried when the next thing she heard was the sound of four teenage girls crying. "Oh girls if you don't want to it was just an idea, you don't have to if you don't want to."
"That's not it Aunt Tess, were crying because we're happy we would love it if you adopted us!" Becky blubbered.
When they got home there only an hour before Tommy and James showed up, she wasn't sure where she was going to get the paperwork for the adoption. That was until Jane came to the rescue, "I had a feeling you would ask and based on the red eyes all around I'm guessing that they said yes. So I took the liberty of getting the paperwork for everybody, all you have to do is fill it out and get it signed."
She practically tackled him "Oh Jane thank you, thank you!"
He grinned "I would do anything to see that smile."
She blushed as Abby shouted "Get a room you two."
The next hour Lisbon spent pacing and having what Kate dubbed a "freak out". Jane tried to calm her down but she brushed him off "How am I supposed to be calm I'm about to ask my brothers to give me their daughters! What if they say no then what am I supposed to do?"
"Lisbon, it'll be fine I'm sure they'll say yes and if not then, well we'll worry about that when the time comes."
When the door bell finally rang Lisbon was a nervous wreck Jane answered the door and ushered the brothers in. Lisbon had gone toe to toe with Red John, she had had been threatened by drug dealers, and countless other dangerous situations but she had never been more scared in her life. "Tommy, James I want to ask you two something."
"What's up sis?" James asked.
"I want to," she paused and started again "I want to adopt the girls."
She winced afraid of the answer. "Alright, do I need to sign something for this?" Tommy asked and James nodded in agreement.
She was incredulous "Really just like that?"
"Yeah," James said "I don't know about Tommy but I wasn't ready to have kids when I did and I don't regret having Becky and Lilly but I don't feel like I've been the best father to them. I don't even know who their mothers are at least if you adopted them I would know they would be with someone who loves them."
"And I'm in the middle of a messy divorce," Tommy added "Caroline already told me she didn't want the girls and I want to focus on work. This way they won't be by themselves and they'll have a mother figure who will love and care for them."
She was practically in tears "Thank you."
After all the I's were dotted and the t's were crossed her brothers left and Teresa ran upstairs to hug her daughters. She ran in the room and was tackled by four squealing teens, her squealing teens.
So there you go the end of my first story about Lisbon's nieces so review and tell me if you liked it and if you want to see more of this.
