Notes: Ok, ok, I apologize for the evil cliffhanger at the end of the last chapter. Hope this one was worth it ;) Once again, if there are anymore relationships you as the readers would like to see explored in this series drop me a line and let me know, I think this one may be drawing to an end unless I'm struck with a plethora of more ideas.

CH 14: Sine Qua Non*

"Come in." The deep voice of the elder Dr. Isles rang out.

You've been through worse Rizzoli. Jane opened the door and stepped in, being sure to almost completely close it behind herself.

"Detective." William Isles stood; Jane thought she detected almost a faint smile.

"Jane, please call me Jane."

He nodded, "Jane, would you care to have a seat?"

She glanced around the office as she took a seat on the worn loveseat William Isles had motioned to. The office was big; she didn't realize faculty offices could be so spacious. She had an image of old stodgy professors in tweed coats, smelling of moth balls in small no-nonsense offices hunched over their desks eating turkey sandwiches with a cup of coffee as the desecrated bones of student papers lay strewn about drenched in the red ink of tattered dreams.

William Isles by appearance was not stodgy and he was casually dressed in some nice slacks and a polo shirt. Organizationally, it was order from chaos; books from floor to ceiling, wall to wall, binders of articles and notes stacked on the desk, on the floor. He had two computers on the desk, a second desk which housed a printer in front of a cork board with a multitude of notes on post-its, scrap paper, even what looked like a few article ideas scrawled on napkins.

William Isles took a seat in a comfy leather chair right across from her. "This is an unexpected visit."

"I found your office hours online, if this is a bad time…"

"No, no not all. Professor Emeritus…" he pointed towards the door, "…essentially means I'm retired, no more teaching responsibility but I still have some research and publishing left in me yet. I get to keep my office, which is a welcome sanctuary at times from my wi…well…it's nice to have your own place to gather your thoughts."

Jane smiled, so, maybe he recognizes his wife is a bit of a shrew. "I came because wanted to speak with you, about Maura…about me and Maura, Maura and I…she's always correcting me on that, I can't ever keep it straight…" Jane was nervous and she was babbling. "Anyway, that's not what's important, Maura doesn't know I'm here. But, there are some things that I need to say."

"Can I get you something to drink? A cup of coffee?" William Isles stood and walked over to a coffee pot half hidden behind a row of books. He poured two cups and presented Jane with one though she hadn't actually accepted or declined the offer.

"Thanks." She took a sip.

"Please, go ahead."

Jane took a deep breath before continuing, "You know I thought I had all this planned out in my head and now it's all in a jumble, but, here goes. About dinner that night…I know that was a shock for you and Mrs. Isles. I need you to hear from me that I love your daughter; I love Maura more than anything. In fact, she's the only person I've ever loved like this. And it has nothing to do with her money or your money or anything like that, none of that matters to me, all that matters to me is making her happy and how happy she makes me. When she's hurt, I hurt and right now she's really hurt and so that's why I'm here because even if when I'm done saying this to you, you tell me to get out and never come back I still had to try. I still needed you to hear it from me, what she means to me. I would like to think that maybe there's still a chance we can get to know each other, I wish I could say so that you can see what Maura sees in me but to be perfectly honest sometimes I wonder myself…" Jane shook her head and laughed as she thought about how truthful that feeling was.

William Isles adjusted his glasses, "I think I can tell you what she sees in you."

Jane looked up from the coffee she had momentarily diverted her eyes towards half expecting to get the boot out of the office.

"I see a person that stood in my kitchen without flinching as my daughter made the biggest disclosure of her life to her mother and I. I see a person that took every insult my wife had to throw and didn't budge until her girlfriend was struck. I see a person that stood in my driveway with her arms wrapped around my daughter comforting her. And I see a person that after everything that night was brave enough to come here alone and talk to me."

"To be fair…if I was that brave, I would have gone to see your wife." Jane gave a sly smile.

"There's a fine line between bravery and stupidity," William Isles said with a wink.

"In case it wasn't obvious from just being in our home, image means quite a lot to my wife. Maura has always had quite a knack for confounding her mother in that area. She's always been a little awkward and that's never worked well for all of Judith's great matchmaking aspirations, then she became a doctor only to tell us she wanted to spend her career autopsying dead people. My wife actually said, 'How am I supposed to explain that to the ladies at the club.' As if that should really matter, but it does to Judith. So, you have to understand that in that moment it was yet another instance of confounded expectation. I regret not having said anything there, that night. Especially when I looked out the window after the two of you and saw Maura in tears. I won't lie, this is a surprise for me, but I just want my daughter to be happy and if you're what makes her happy then I'm pretty sure I can find peace with that, as long as you treat her right, protect her. Judith…well, you should know she felt horribly guilty about slapping Maura, I think honestly she was a bit taken aback with her reaction as a whole in retrospect. But, as shallow as it may make her sound, I don't think her reaction was one of disgust or disapproval generally but once again the image. I think she will come around from this; I know she must have seemed cold and heartless to you, but she loves Maura and I know that in her heart she wants Maura to be happy just like I do. She just needs time and the opportunity to see that that's you."

"Can we try again? If it's not too soon I mean, maybe dinner at my place. Maura and I promised a homestyle Italian meal and I'd still like to deliver on that."

William Isles chuckled, "I think we should definitely try again, I'll talk to my wife."

They rose simultaneously and shook hands.

"Jane, I do appreciate you coming by to speak to me."

One down.

Jane strolled back into her apartment feeling very accomplished and found a still naked Maura in bed right where she had left her.

"I can't believe you're still in bed," Jane said, stripping down to her underwear and tank top and crawling back under the sheets. She scooted over to Maura wrapping her arms around her.

Maura's hand moved to stroke Jane's cheek, "I can't believe you went to see my father…"

"How…"

"He called. They're coming here for dinner tomorrow night."

"Are you mad?"

Maura wrapped her arms around Jane and pressed their lips together, "Not at all." She pulled back and stared into Jane's comforting brown eyes, bringing her hand back around her fingers lightly traced the arc of Jane's eyebrow, then her cheekbone before ghosting across her lips. "What did you say to him?"

"Well, you talked to him didn't you?"

Maura smiled, "He only said that you had just been by to see him, that you had a very nice talk and that he and mom would be over for dinner tomorrow night so that we could all talk in person."

"Even though I complain about them, you know how important my family is to me, Maur. What happened with your parents, I…I just felt like I needed to step up and make some things clear. I don't want you to lose your parents; I know how much that hurt you and I know how I would have felt if that's how my parents would have reacted. My parents knew you before we got together, but your parents never had the same opportunity to know me. I felt like your father needed to hear it from me how much I love you and how much you mean to me. And I thought that if I could get that across to your father then maybe he could see a reason to give me a chance, to give our relationship a chance."

A single tear trickled down Maura's nose; Jane reached out and promptly wiped it away with a flick of her finger. Forehead to forehead, her hand had found its way to entangle itself in Maura's hair, Jane exhaled. "I love you so much, like I've never loved anyone before. I don't think I've ever told you that, but it's true."

Maura smiled, "I know…Nonna said you'd tell me that when you were ready."

Jane chuckled, "I swear…she's frightening sometimes."

"Janie, are you sure you don't want me to come over and cook it all for you?"

Jane rolled her eyes as Maura muffled a laugh so Angela wouldn't hear her over the speakerphone.

"No Ma, we can do it I just forgot to write down the amounts for the sauce ingredients."

"Why didn't you decide to make the Osso Bucco again?"

"Oh for God's sake Ma! Because we decided to make gnocchi, now time's a ticking are you going to give me the sauce recipe or do I need to send Maura down to the store for some Ragu!"

"Oh Janie, you can't make homemade gnocchi and then pour Ragu over it!"

"I give up." Jane handed Maura the phone and went to the bedroom to get dressed.

"Maybe we should have done this at your house, I mean we'll barely all fit at my little dining table." Jane paced nervously around the living room of her apartment. "You're sure you don't want me to put on something nicer?"

Maura cupped Jane's face in her hands to still her, "I want you to be comfortable and you look perfectly lovely in your slacks and that blouse. I do love you in Prussian blue it's very flattering for your skin tone." She smiled and pulled Jane forward for a quick kiss right as a knock was heard at the door.

Maura stepped aside to let Jane answer the door.

"Dr. Isles, Mrs. Isles, please come in."

"Jane, nice to see you again," William Isles said with a nod of his head.

"Barolo Cicalo from the Aldo Conterno vineyard in Bussia. Italian wine for an Italian meal." Judith Isles handed the bottle to Jane.

A peace offering, or is she actually that anal about her wine?

"Thank you." Jane replied glancing over at Maura.

Judith Isles glanced discriminatingly around the apartment before joining her husband at Maura's motioning to take a seat on the sofa. Jane opened the bottle of wine she and Maura had selected and began pouring 4 glasses.

"We'll start with this and save yours for the meal," Maura offered as she handed each of her parents a glass before taking a seat on the chair. Jane stood, momentarily confused. Her apartment lacked seating, she had expected Maura to join her parents on the sofa leaving the chair for her. Maura sensed her dilemma and lightly patted the wide arm of the chair. Jane sat and instinctively placed her hand on Maura's back for comfort and reassurance. Maura's hand came to rest on Jane's knee. The silence was deafening.

"We're having chicken piccata and homemade gnocchi…Jane's mother's recipe." Maura smiled as she broke the lull.

"It smells delicious," her father offered. Judith Isles nodded in agreement.

"How was the trip to California?" The previous dinner had of course gone awry before Maura got the chance to inquire about her mother's wine purchasing jaunt.

"Oh, just fine. We brought back several lovely vintages. The weather was perfect, it almost made me a little sad to think that winter is just around the corner. The chill in the air is already quite noticeable, I think it has come earlier this year, wouldn't you say William?"

"Hmm, yes I would agree."

Maura smiled, "I took Jane's grandmother to Arnold Arboretum the other day for the Bonsai exhibit before the trees go into storage for the winter, it was quite brisk."

Judith Isles took a sip of her wine and caught Jane's eye, "Ah yes, your grandmother…the necklace…"

Maura and Jane each reached and pulled the matching medals out that were tucked in their respective blouses.

"They were a gift to my grandmother and grandfather from my great aunt on their wedding day." Jane let the necklace slide back down her shirt as she smiled at Maura; Maura held onto hers a moment longer she had found that rubbing it between her fingers had a pacifying effect.

"You're very lucky to still have your grandmother, mine and William's parents all passed away many years ago."

"Jane's Nonna is lovely, she has fascinating stories…" Maura was interrupted by the cooking timer signaling the bread in the oven was ready.

Dinner conversation progressed with relatively banal and uncontroversial topics. When all was finished William and Judith both complimented the meal as Jane and Maura ferried the dishes back to the kitchen.

"Maura, why don't you let me help you clean up," Judith said as she began to rinse the dishes. Jane and William moved to the living room and struck up a conversation.

Maura and her mother stood in silence for a moment, scraping dishes, rinsing them and then placing them in the dishwasher.

"I owe you an apology," Judith set the dish down in the sink she had been rinsing, "I…I can't believe I slapped you, I've never felt so awful about anything in my life."

"Why didn't you call?" Maura looked at her mother, the pain obvious in her eyes.

Judith sighed, "I should have, it's just…this is…very unexpected and then I was afraid it was too late, that I'd already lost you."

"You haven't lost me, but I love Jane and I'm not trying to be rude but I meant it when I said I didn't need your permission or your approval. I want us to still have a relationship, but you have to understand that Jane is a part of my life now and I won't let you speak to her again like you did that night."

Judith Isles nodded and then half-smiled as she laughed, "You remind me of me, when I brought your father to meet my parents for the first time…"

Jane and William's voices were growing louder from the livingroom, apparently Jane had discovered that Maura's father was a bit of a baseball fanatic. Jane trotted into the kitchen, their empty wine glasses in hand.

"Maur, you didn't tell me your father was into baseball!"

William Isles laughed from the sofa, "Finally, my daughter's brought home someone I can talk sports with!"

"You like baseball, Jane?" Judith asked.

Maura jumped in, "Jane is very athletic, she plays on most of the police league teams, she's even gotten the homicide unit to let me join their softball and bowling teams!"

"You…playing sports! Will wonders never cease!" Judith laughed with genuine surprise.

"Mother! I've taken part in sports before," Maura responded with an air of defensiveness.

"Maura, dear, ballet and fencing hardly count as real sports," Judith retorted much to Jane's amusement, as she couldn't stifle the slight snort at the comment.

William Isles recognizing the opportunity that was presenting itself called Maura to join him. Jane filled Judith's glass with the last of the expensive and also very delicious wine she had brought, before uncorking a cheaper backup bottle she had stashed.

"I owe you an apology as well, Jane," Judith Isles started off, "my reaction at dinner that night was atrocious, when I think back on it I'm absolutely mortified. You seem like a very genuine person, this…" Judith motioned towards Jane, "…it's just a very big surprise, it's not what I ever pictured for my daughter and it's hard for me right now, this is very unconventional, but then I guess Maura has always been a bit unconventional…"

They both shared a slight chuckle at Judith's comment.

"Mrs. Isles, I know that I'm not the kind of person you pictured Maura falling in love with, for more reasons than the blatantly obvious. But, I love your daughter. I want you to hear that from me. Our relationship is real; I'm not using her I'm not trying to take advantage of her. I love her, more than anything, and in a way like I've never loved anyone before. And as each day goes by I'm more and more sure that I couldn't possibly love anyone else like I love her. She's changed my life and I can't imagine my life without her. You and Dr. Isles, you're her parents, and family is really important to me. You probably need more time to…umm…process all of this or whatever, but I'm really glad you decided to come tonight so that I could tell you that."

"I appreciate the effort that you've made, in spite of what happened. That does tell me quite a lot about you." Judith motioned for them to leave the kitchen.

Maura rose as her mother and girlfriend entered the living room; she reached out taking Jane's hand in her own and lead them back to the chair so her mother could join her husband on the sofa.

Judith looked at her husband with a faint smile as she took his hand, "Maura, you know your father and I have only ever wanted you to be happy…"

"Can't you see mom, that I am happy? I'm happier than I've ever been."

Judith glanced down at the glass of wine she was holding and then back up to the scene before her, her daughter, fingers intertwined with those of another woman the two of them both squeezed onto a single chair. "Oddly enough, I can, I can see that, as much as when I agreed to come over here tonight I had hoped that I wouldn't. Maura, I think I've still got some coming to terms to deal with here but, I'll try."

William Isles smiled and squeezed his wife's hand.

Maura smiled and breathed the first sigh of relief she'd had all evening, "That's all I…all, we ask for."

* That without which there cannot be