Author Note: Thank you all so much for your patience, comments, etc. As always, it's lovely to have such support, especially on a story that I feel really good about. It took a few extra days from the end of my holiday to finally finish this chapter. I'm trying to be healthier for the next few weeks (before I go away for a month - sorry!) so have been going to the gym and cooking, which means less writing time, unfortunately. Though saying that, I did write the start of this fic at the gym...

"Thank you for giving me some time," Maura said, reaching her hand across the table and covering Jane's. "I know I haven't been easy."

Jane shrugged. The busy bar melted away, her sole focus on Maura. "I get it. I think. He's your kid, he's important to you. But he's also a reminder of a time that was difficult."

"I don't know what's going to happen next, and it scares me." Maura gripped her fingers tightly around Jane's hand. "His father said he can stay until the school break. It's only a week away."

"What do you want to happen?"

"I want to see Luke. I know having him full time is probably unrealistic."

"Why?"

Maura frowned as she studied Jane. "I've not been in his life for twelve years. Why would any judge give me full custody? If I'd given up fighting for him, for his sake, then maybe it'd be different. But losing custody of a child is not as simple."

"Could it have been postpartum?"

She stared at their hands, one on top of the other. Maura shook her head. "No. I don't think it was. Even if there was a chance it's too late now. I didn't get any help; I didn't seek out a doctor. There's no evidence to support that."

Turning her hand over, Jane squeezed Maura's fingers. "Whatever happens, I'm with you. I'm all in. Okay?"

"You don't need to be part of it."

Jane sighed and pulled her hand back under the table. "This is what's wrong between us."

"I'm sorry?"

"I'm trying to help. I can't do much but I can be with you. Why do you keep pushing me away on this?"

"I don't." Maura paused. "I'm sorry. I don't know how to share this with anyone. I've never had to."

"What can I get you?" Angela asked, approaching the table. Before they could respond, she looked to the table beside them and side stepped across. "Hey, kid, what you doing here alone? You're not allowed here without an adult."

"Angela." Maura stood up. Angela continued her affront while Luke stared back at her. "Angela, he's with us."

"Why's he sitting over here alone?"

Jane slipped out of the booth and stood beside Maura. "He's a kid, Ma. He doesn't want to sit with the adults, do you Luke?"

He shrugged and continued playing on his handheld console. Angela glowered at him for a moment then turned back to Jane and Maura. "Is he the kid staying at yours, Maura?"

"He is."

"Tell me to mind my own business, especially now I'm moving into Ron's, but are you gonna tell me who he is?"

Luke pressed pause on his game and glanced back to Maura, waiting. She smiled, forcing her lips to curve as best as she could. "He's my son."

"He's your s-" Angela narrowed her eyes, then they grew wide. "You have a son?"

"I do."

"Why didn't we know about it?"

"Ma," Jane said, pushing her arm to guide her away. "Leave it."

Angela resisted, her feet firmly in place. "He's a teenager. Why didn't we know you had a teenager?"

"None of your business, Ma."

"It is my business when you're," Angela began, but Jane cut her off, pushing her away from the tables.

"No. Don't." She only loosened her grip once they'd reached the bar.

"Don't do what?" Angela glanced over her shoulder toward Luke. "Ask questions? Can't I ask questions about him?"

"Luke is none of your business. You said we could tell you to mind it, so that's what I'm doing. He's Maura's son. That's all you get to know."

"But you're together, that makes him my grandson."

Jane rolled her eyes. "He's not your grandson, Ma. He's not my kid, and we're not married."

"Maybe if you'd get married then I wouldn't keep bothering you."

"I've told you over and over," Jane said. "We've been together for five minutes. Maybe when it's been a couple years you can start bothering me about marriage."

"It'll be too late for children in a couple of years."

Rolling her eyes again, Jane folded her arms. "Back. Off."

"I'm sorry for showing an interest in your life."

"You're doing that hovering thing again."

"I said I was sorry." Angela's bottom lip stuck out, her eyes filled with tears. "I just, with moving to Ron's, I don't know when I'll see you again."

"Don't do the crying thing," Jane said. She rubbed at her temple. Sometimes her mother's incessant pestering hurt her head. When it didn't stop, she sighed. "You move Saturday, yeah?"

"As long as you and Frankie can still help."

"Course we can."

"Then I move Saturday."

"I hope I don't regret this," Jane muttered. "We'll be over for Sunday dinner."

Angela gripped her arm tightly. "With Maura?"

Unravelling her fingers from her wrist, Jane glared at her. "I can't guarantee Maura will be there."

"Then it's not the same."

"She's got her own things going on." Jane motioned to Luke, who, despite still playing his game, was animated talking to Maura. "She'll probably be at the next one."

"Okay. Then I guess that'll have to do."

"Besides," Jane said, breathing in and out slowly. "Frankie and I were thinking of bringing some beers Saturday, if you don't make it too difficult for us. We can make it a moving in party."

"A party?! Who else is coming?"

"Just a small party," Jane said, grimacing as Angela pulled her into a tight embrace. "You, me, Frankie and Ron."

"Joanne is coming over to help."

Letting go of Jane, Angela walked around the back of the bar and grabbed a tissue. She dabbed at her eyes and returned to Jane's side.

"Then Joanne as well."

"You know, she's got kids."

"I do."

"She said they can call me grandma if they want."

Jane held onto her shoulders and stared into her still teary eyes. "Are you trying to make me feel jealous so I'll give you grandchildren?"

"No," she said, looking away.

"Ma!"

"I can't help it. Tommy's not gonna have anymore soon, Frankie's, well, who knows when he's gonna get his act together. You're my only baby in a relationship. Is it so wrong to want Maura's son to treat me the way Joanne's kids can?"

"If Joanne's kids want to call you grandma that's their business. Luke isn't your business; he isn't even my business. And what children Maura and I do or don't have is none of your business unless they're born, and then you're their grandparent, not their parent."

Pouting, Angela slipped her tissue into the sleeve of her shirt. "Someone's in a mood."

"We'll have three burgers, all the trimmings, and make it snappy. We've gotta get back to work," Jane said, rolling her eyes. She walked towards the table, turned and pointed to her mother. "So do you, those burgers won't make themselves."

"Yeah, yeah."

x

The morning sunlight pierced through the window making it difficult to look up. Maura focused her attention on the bowl of oatmeal in front of her. She scanned the morning news on her tablet.

"Why do you and Jane spend a lot of time together?" Luke asked, swallowing his last mouthful. His spoon clattered against the bowl.

"Erm." Maura hesitated. The question was always going to come, or some other question not too dissimilar. She had to tell him eventually. Yet, the words caught in her throat like borderline rotting fish served every Friday at boarding school. "We're, well..."

Her cellphone rang. She snatched it up from the breakfast table, thankful for the distraction, the reason not to answer.

"Isles."

At the end of the call, she placed her cellphone back on the table and picked up her bowl. "I have to go to work."

"I thought we were going to a museum today," Luke said, carrying his empty bowl across to the dishwasher. Maura took it from him and loaded them into the dishwasher. "We were going to do a history lesson."

"I'm sorry." Closing the door, she rested her hand on his shoulder. "I might have time this afternoon."

"You said the museum needs a full day."

She sighed. The twist of his features hurt. Dropping her hand to her side, she sighed again. Disappointment was not an emotion she was used to seeing on his face. "It's this case I'm working on, it's not like most cases."

"I get to sit in your office then, again." He slouched and turned around.

"No." Maura followed him toward the couch. "I have an important meeting at the Mayor's office. Kent really needs to focus on our cases. I'll see if you can shadow Jane."

His face lit up. "Will I get to see her fire her gun?"

"I hope not!" Maura smirked. "But I do know how interested you are in her work. Perhaps if you see the mundane, you'll find being a detective isn't all it's cracked up to be."

"I bet it's better."

"You would." She picked up her purse, then dropped it back on the desk as she headed for the study. "Actually, I have a book on bullet wound configurations, let me find it. You can do some research if she's too busy to give you her full attention."

x

Maura stared at Mayor Smithson, aghast. She focused on replaying his words a couple of times in her mind, absolutely certain she'd heard his request correctly. The case was sensitive, as he'd reminded her just as often. But even she drew the line at sharing sensitive information with persons of interest, regardless of who they were. When her cell phone buzzed, she sighed with relief.

"I'm sorry, Mayor Smithson, but someone from my lab is calling. It's imperative I take this." She stood and exited the room, hovering by the partially open door. She listened to Kent relay the recently accumulated results. She returned to the office. "I have to go."

"We haven't finished our conversation," he said. "I hope you understand how important it is that all results are passed along to me."

Pursing her lips, Maura forged a smile. "I understand."

"What information don't I yet know?"

"Whilst my sole focus is on your son's murder," Maura said. "My team have been processing evidence from other deaths. The phone call was not in regards to the case in question."

He stared at her, his hands clasped on the desk. His lips tightened, his eyebrows creased. "I hope you wouldn't lie to me, Doctor Isles. You do realise that I have the power to remove you from your post."

"I understand." She forged a smile, not stopping until it had reached her eyes. Despite the decrease in hive activity with direct lying, Maura could feel an itch spread across her chest. "You do realise, that as my direct employer, any threat over my employment could be seen as a breach of employment law."

He smirked, though the tightness around his lips never faltered. "Point taken, Doctor Isles. I expect further information in due course."

"I will share with you what I can."

x

The line for coffee exceeded Jane's patience. She glanced around at the three people in front of her and grimaced. She missed the days when Angela worked there. It drove her crazy, but at least she was always guaranteed a coffee ahead of every Officer Tom, Dick or Harry. The people in front of her didn't even look familiar.

"Annoying, isn't it?" the man in front said.

"The line?" she asked. He nodded. "I don't know why they started letting people in here who aren't on the force. Makes it harder for those of us who don't have a couple hours to spend waiting for a caffeine fix"

"Right?" He grinned, his teeth white and on full display. "Though I must admit, today I fit the imposter category."

"Imposter? Do I need to arrest you?" She raised an eyebrow. "Though with those cheekbones I imagine nobody could mistake you for someone else."

He pressed his lips together to disguise the smile forcing its way across his face. He ran his fingers through the back of his hair. "I meant I'm not a cop."

"Really?" She covered her mouth in mock shock. "I've been here long enough to have guessed to that effect. So, what are you doing here if you don't work here, Mr Imposter?"

"Came to see someone," he said. "But they're not here."

"Ah. Hopefully you haven't come too far to see them."

He tilted his head from one side to the other. "I guess you could say that. Would have made it easier if they were, but it's probably better we catch up somewhere else."

"It's like that, is it?" she asked. "Getting some coffee to drown your sorrows."

"Something like that." The people in front walked away. "I'll get a cappuccino to go and whatever the lady's having."

"Lady?" Jane scoffed. "I'll have a latte. You obviously don't know who I am."

"Should I?"

Jane shrugged. "A few years ago, maybe."

"Years?" He crossed his hand over his chest and kissed his hands as he rested them palm to palm. "At least it wasn't a few days ago. Lucky bloke."

"Yeah." Jane stepped backward, a crease in her brow. She sighed and took her coffee. "See you around."

"Probably not. I don't anticipate being here for long."

"Then I guess I won't."

x

Sipping her coffee, Jane watched Luke as he perched on the edge of his seat, his elbows rested on the table in front of him, and a book in hand. His tongue moved to one side. She glanced down at the cover.

"You really like guns, don't you?"

He shrugged and continued reading. A moment later, he closed the book. "I was bored."

"Frankie gone out?"

"He said he had to go speak to someone about something."

"Real helpful there, kid," Jane said, raising an eyebrow. She pulled back the chair opposite him and sat down. "Your mother's still out of contact. She said she'd be back by lunch, so I'll take you home, we can wait there."

"Why can't we wait here?"

"Because Maura isn't working this afternoon."

"Does she do that a lot?" he asked, tapping his fingers on the table.

"Disappear?" He nodded. "Never. Except for the time she was kidnapped."

His mouth dropped open. "She was kidnapped?"

Jane shrugged. "Only once."

"Only? Why would she be kidnapped at all?"

"It's complicated." Jane pressed her lips together and focused her attention on drinking her coffee. "Forget I said anything."

"I don't forget things. I have an eidetic memory."

"What's that?"

"Photographic."

Lowering her coffee, Jane leaned forward. "So if I gave you a list of names to remember, you'd never forget them?"

"I could try to, but they'd probably stay there somewhere."

"Jeez. You really are Maura's kid."

"She has it too?"

"No. She's just really smart but she might as well have. She talks about a memory palace sometimes, never understood what she meant really."

"That's cool."

"Do kids still say that?"

"Not really."

"You know; your mother is awesome with smart stuff."

"Yeah," he said, smiling. He picked up his book and held it out to Jane. "She has some disgusting books. Check out the picture on page nine."

Jane flicked through. She closed her eyes, shut the book, and stared at him. "Why would you show me that?"

"It's funny," he said, smirking.

"I've seen worse. Wait, but you didn't remember what Frankie said?"

He shrugged. "Wasn't paying attention."

"Grab your book, let's go."

x

Jane held down the button on the games console, twisting and turning her hands to control the car as it raced Luke's around the track.

"No, no, no," she shouted, pressing it repeatedly, but Luke's car raced past until the race was over and Jane slouched back in her seat. "You're good."

"What's your brother like?"

"He's not bad."

"Wanna go again?"

Jane stared at him, smirking, as she pressed the button on the controller to restart the game. "'m gonna beat you this time."

"Not if I beat you first."

The game counted down and they sped off, their cars neck and neck. Jane glanced at Luke, he glanced back. She raised her eyebrows and pressed another button, her car sped up.

"What's it like being back?"

He shrugged, leaning forward. "I don't really know what it was like before so it doesn't feel like I'm back anywhere. It's like it's new, she's new."

"Makes sense." Jane rested her elbows on her knees. "You were only little when she left."

"Yeah."

"She really wants to make up for it."

"How would you know?" he asked, looking across to her.

Jane took the opportunity and pushed onward. "We talked about it. I know her really well."

"I wish I had friends like you and Mom are to each other."

"Yeah...well, maybe not quite, though I dunno, you might."

"What do you mean?"

"Doesn't matter."

"All they wanna do is play games and talk to girls."

"You don't wanna talk to girls?" He shrugged, barely looking up from the screen. "There's plenty of time for that."

"Faster, faster," Luke muttered, tapping his foot on the floor as they sped across the finish line. "Yes!"

"That's not fair," Jane said.

"Why not?"

"You're fourteen, you play these games all the time." She leaned back, rubbing her spine. "I can't sit like that for long without it hurting."

"Again? I was gonna see what we could have for lunch."

The doorbell chimed once, twice, three times. Jane placed her controller on the couch beside her and stood up. "Saved by the annoyingly chipper doorbell."

"I'll get it," Luke said, jumping up.

"No, it's okay," Jane said, stepping in front of him. "Go practice your racing or whatever it is kids like to do these days."

"Can I go on snapchat?"

"What's that?"

"It's a kid thing, you wouldn't understand."

"Sure. Don't know why Frankie would have that game, though."

"It's not a game." He stared at her, his eyes wide like she'd said something stupid. "Can I borrow your cell?"

"What do you need my cell for?"

"Snapchat."

"Then no," she said. "Go shoot people instead."

"You'd make a brilliant mom," he said, rolling his eyes.

He sat down back and reset the game. Jane walked across the room and opened the front door. Her eyes landed on their visitor, tall, dark, handsome, and more familiar than Jane was expecting.

"Oh. Hi," she said, frowning. "What are you doing here?"

"I was about I ask you the same," he said.

"Wait, are you here to see Maura?" Jane turned and glanced at Luke, racing a car along the screen. She turned back. "Is she who you were trying to visit at BPD?"

"Yeah." His lips tightened, his brow knitted together. "She has my son."

"Your..." she said, her mouth dropped. "Oh, shit."

The crease between his brows only deepened. "The name's Greg, actually."

"Sorry. I didn't mean it like that." Jane stepped forward and held the door to behind her. "I didn't know we were expecting you."

"We?"

"Maura." She forged a smile, desperate to do something to turn him away. "She's not here."

Luke screamed with joy from the other room, and shouted Jane's name. She gritted her teeth and closed her eyes, looking down at the floor. She begged the world to, just this once, turn back the clock long enough for her to alter what had just happened.

"Then why is my son?" Greg asked, pushing the door open. Jane tried to hold it behind her, but he was too strong. The door banged against the table behind it and marched into the house.

"Hey, what the hell...you can't just invite yourself in," Jane said. "I'm watching Luke for Maura. Not that he needs watching."

Standing in the doorway, he breathed in slowly, his fist balled at his side. He twisted round to face her. "I can when my child is in the guardianship of someone I've never even met."

"Dad?" Luke span around, pressing pause on the game.

"Did you forget about our coffee date?" she asked, rolling her eyes. "I've known Maura for a long time. She trusts me, so you should trust her."

"Yeah?" He shook his head. "Maybe you shouldn't have an opinion on someone else's son. Luke, get your school things. We're leaving?"

"What are you doing here?" He stood up. "Break isn't for a few days."

"I came early. Get your stuff."

"But you said I could stay until school break."

"I said you could stay until I came back into the country." He grabbed Luke's jacket from the back of the chair. "This yours? I wasn't sure how soon that'd be."

"Yeah, it's mine. I wanna stay here."

"We're leaving Lucas."

"Jane!" he shouted, his arms outstretched. "You're a cop. Do something."

"I can't stop him, Luke." A lump formed in her throat. She longed to do something, to listen to Luke, she wished beyond comprehension that she could stop this. For Luke. For Maura. She shook her head. "I'm sorry. He's your father."

"Make Mom stop him."

"For God's sake, Lucas," Greg shouted, marching around the room. He picked up a couple of books then returned them to the desk. "I already told you not to call her that. She's not your mother. She left you."

"Hey! Watch what you're saying," Jane said, stalking towards him. She gritted her teeth, fighting the urge to smack him hard across the face. "You may have custody but you don't have a right to tell him what he can and can't call her."

He stepped up to her, his tall figure towered over her. "This is none of your business."

She stood upright, staring back into his eyes. "I may not be able to stop you taking him, but please, just wait until Maura gets home."

"If you're not gonna get your stuff, fine," he shouted. "I'll use your trust fund to buy you a new uniform. Get in the car."

"I don't wanna go," Luke said, his voice broke. Jane chewed the inside of her lip to stop tears from falling.

"I don't care what you don't wanna do, Lucas," Greg said. "We're going. Get in the car or there'll be consequences."

"What are you gonna do? Send me to boarding school?" he asked, grinning.

Greg walked forward, wrapped his arms around Luke's waist and lifted him onto his shoulder. Jane stared, gobsmacked, at the force of his action, at the finality. She was powerless, and it felt horrible.

"Let me go!" Luke shouted, kicking his legs back and forth like an angry toddler.

"No."

"Jane!"

"I'm sorry Luke," she said, frozen to the spot as Greg carried Luke out of the front door. Once the sound of Luke's protest disappeared, she leaned against the nearest wall and closed her eyes. "Maura is gonna kill me."