"I want MOMMY!" Jenna screeched, now a heap of limbs on the floor as she refused budge any farther toward her room down the hall. She planted her face into the carpet, though it hardly did anything to mute her wails of distress.

Jane let out groan, slumping against the wall in a defeated manner. She ran a hand through her curls, watching the distraught toddler for a good few minutes, her ears ringing loudly as the persistent screams continued. Indulging her would only feed the flames of her tantrum, and Jane gritted her teeth as she waited, knowing that it couldn't be long before Jenna would peter out.

Sure enough, her sobs faded from an endless drone to a series of softer whines. Jane held her breath, letting the tension escape from her body as Jenna's voice tapered off, leaving only the sound of her loud sniffles.

Jane didn't dare move.

Jenna hiccupped, peering out from behind her veil of wild hair. She glowered at Jane, before letting out another tiny whimper. She turned her face against the carpet, resting her cheek against the textured surface, a sigh of exhaustion rippling through her body.

Jane crouched down on the floor, inching cautiously toward her daughter, before gently bringing her hand to her back. She rubbed small circles against the top of her back, watching as her eyelids began to flutter. "You ready for bed now, baby girl?"

Jenna recoiled immediately, thrashing away from Jane's grasp. "No! No! No! I want Mommy!" she demanded once again. Jane silently chastised herself for her lack of patience. She rose from her squatted position, ready to grab her daughter and physically place her into her bed in a more efficient way of executing her authority.

But Jane stopped herself, hesitating as she took a step toward Jenna. Her daughter's eyes were wild as she stared up at Jane, somewhat resembling a frightened, wounded animal as she cowered on the floor. Jane's frustration waned to an ache, realizing that Jenna was merely at a loss of just how to cope with the situation that had been unexpectedly throttled upon her. To Jenna, her entire world was coming to an end without Maura here to tuck her into bed as she did every night.

Jane sighed, her muscles visibly relaxing. She took a step back from Jenna, crouching down to the floor once again. "Come here, baby girl," she muttered softly, her face breaking into a small smile as she beckoned her daughter.

Jenna was cautious, waiting a good minute before she was certain her mother would not betray her. She finally scrambled to her feet, letting out a tiny sigh as she cocooned herself in Jane's arms. Jane held her for a moment, letting Jenna's hot breath splash against her neck.

"I miss her, too," Jane muttered, feeling Jenna cling to her even more tightly. "What do you say we give Mommy a call?" Jane finally caved, as Jenna vigorously nodded against her.

Maura had left for a statewide medical conference earlier that afternoon, leaving Jenna with Jane. What she had hoped to be a glitch free weekend had quickly turned in chaotic mess. Jane didn't cut apple slices the way Maura did, the mac and cheese was too crunchy, the water in the bath had too many bubbles, and Jenna's Ariel nightgown had suddenly gone missing.

Maura was the one who was always there, the one who knew how to brush the tangles from Jenna's hair without making her shriek. She remembered the lotion after bath time without Jenna having to remind her, and she had somehow mastered a bedtime routine that didn't involve a screaming match. Jane had liked to envision herself as a good mother, but she didn't always make it home for things like bedtime; Maura had just naturally fallen into a more domestic role, and it was rare that she wasn't present for at least one component of the arduous bedtime routine. Jane's hours were scattered and unpredictable, and tonight had left her with an ugly knot in her gut as a wave of incompetence washed over her.

She sat down on the couch, a sniveling Jenna still attached to her side. She pulled out her phone, feeling somewhat small and defeated, hating to admit to Maura that she had failed.

Maura picked up on the fourth ring, a hint of panic in her voice; they both worried too much. "Is everything okay, Jane?"

"Yeah," she answered quickly, before adding, "I mean, the evening was a little chaotic, but we survived. Bed time is proving to be a bit of a fiasco, so I was hoping a goodnight kiss through the phone might be able to replace your presence for the evening." Jane's voice was light, though her tongue stuck thickly to the roof of her mouth as she spoke.

"Put her on," Maura muttered with slight bemusement in her tone. "I still have a few minutes before the evening panel begins."

Jane lowered the phone down to Jenna's ear, just able to make out the muffled conversation between the two.

"I hear you're giving Mama a hard time tonight," Maura's voice held a hint of disappointment.

Jenna erupted with a fresh batch of tears. "Mommy," her voice came out in a sloppy wail. "I want you to come home."

"Sweetheart, we talked about this, remember? Mommy's going to be gone for just three nights, but your Mama is there. Did she read you your bed time story in a silly voice?" Jenna nodded her head, letting out a muffled noise of confirmation against the receiver. "See, you're having even more fun than when I'm there."

"I want you," her voice broke Jane's heart for a minute, as she was drenched in inadequacy. "I want you both here." Jane was surprised to feel the sudden tears of relief pool in her eyes.

"Just three nights, and we'll all be together then," Maura promised. "Until then, I need you to be a big girl and be on your best behavior for Mama. If I get a good report, I just may bring you home a surprise."

"What surprise?" Jenna's voice was less morose.

"It wouldn't be a surprise if I told you, would it? Now blow me a kiss, okay?" Jenna smacked her lips loudly. "Can you put your Mama back on?"

Jane took the phone from her daughter, a small smile edging her lips. "If I beg you to come home, will you reconsider?"

"Jane..."

"I think my puppy dog eyes rival Jenna's."

"Missing me already?" Maura's voice was softer, more serious.

"I miss you all the time." Jane tried to smile, but her voice broke. "When did I become the distant, estranged father in this scenario?" she spoke with a huff.

"Jane, you know that's not true…"

"I just feel like this shouldn't have been this hard, you know? Like she should be better about going to bed for both of us. That when you're gone, I'm good enough, and she doesn't spend all her time begging for you," Jane muttered, a bit hoarsely.

"You know Jane, it's not that unnatural for people raising a child within the context of a same-sex relationship to fall into gender specific stereo-"

"I know, Maur. I know that. I know I'm never gonna be the one to french braid her hair, and by the looks of it, she's gonna be playing dress up in your closet, not mine - but that doesn't mean I still shouldn't be here more. I want to be enough for her."

"Jane," Maura's voice was cautionary. "We're not having this conversation again. Not right now. Jenna adores you - we both know that. And you have her to yourself for three days, so now is not the time to worry about this."

Jane let out a breath. "You having a good time?"

She could hear Maura exhale as well. "It has been enjoyable so far. I caught up with an old friend from college over dinner - she's been conducting some interesting research - but I'll tell you more about that later. I really should be going now, and you're going to have a very cranky three-year-old tomorrow if I don't let you finish this battle."

Jane licked her lips. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Jane. Give her a kiss for me, okay?"

"You got it." She smiled, listening to the silence seep through the receiver for a good minute before lowering her phone.

Jenna had fallen asleep during the duration of their phone call, but instead of taking her down the hall and accepting the release she'd been begging for during the past hour, Jane closed her own eyes, hugging Jenna closer to her, wondering when she would finally feel settled.

XXX

Jenna was feeling hot, sticky, and a little nauseous by the time Cody pulled up in front of the Robber.

"Fun night?" he inquired as she sunk into the seat, gulping in the coolness of air-conditioned interior.

She took in another breath, just to make sure she had control of her stomach. "Thrilling." She paused, the car jolting as he put it into drive. "Thanks for coming to get me, kid."

"Well, I'm not really sure you could have called a cab in this state, so I don't think I had a choice. Guess it's lucky you didn't invite me to come with you on your escapade."

"Shit," Jenna turned to face her brother, his face emanated by the red glow of the stoplight. "That's right, you're twenty-one now." As with all of the noteworthy family events in the past year, she had missed that one too. "I owe you a drink – wanna go back?" She knitted her eyebrows together, her offer half-serious.

"I think I'll put a rain check on that offer," Cody answered, a wry smile on his face as the light turned green. "I'd rather not have to peel you off the floor tonight."

"Fuck you," Jenna shoved him playfully.

It was only moments later that she let out a tiny moan, her stomach lurching, feeling dizzy as her mind tried to make sense of the blurred scenery that sped past her window. She let out a tiny moan, swimming in nausea.

"I swear, Jenna, if you vomit in my car..." Cody warned, slowing his pace in preparation for an emergency pullover.

"I'm not gonna, just shut up and drive." She waved him forward, letting her head fall against the window.

She was dozing lightly when they pulled into the driveway, and it took her a minute to gain enough coherency to stumble out of the car. She took in a few breaths, letting the freshness soothe her.

"You coming in?" Cody edged toward the door.

"The air smells good," she muttered, leaning up against the hood of the car. "Gimme a minute."

She felt the car sway slightly as Cody pressed his own weight up against it. She let her eyes flutter open, startled slightly by the clarity of the night sky. It was enough to keep her heavy eyes open for a while, momentarily masking her exhaustion.

It was Cody who broke the silence. "You think Ma's gonna be okay?" His voice was tight.

"Yeah, I think she'll bounce back. More of a scare than anything," she repeated the words she had spoken to Matt, once again soothed by her speculation. "I'm more worried about Mom, to be honest."

She wasn't sure if she had meant to speak the words, or if they were just a fleeting thought that escaped past her loosened lips, but they seeped slowly into night around them, lingering with sudden heaviness.

"How'd she get this way? I mean, I know they've both been taking it hard, but that's not Mom in there." He nodded toward the house. She could hear his lips purse as he finished speaking.

Jenna opened her mouth a few times before settling on her response. She kicked her heels off, standing up a little straighter as she addressed her brother. "It's what happens when you let just one person become your entire world." The answer was well-versed; she'd given it more thought than she would have soberly admitted.

"She has us though." Cody's response was feeble.

Jenna scoffed, though she nearly choked on an influx of guilt.

"I've been meaning to call her more," Cody continued. "School's just been busy though, you know? And she's not exactly the easiest person to reach...and you see how she still looks at me, Jenna..." His voice tapered off.

"It's not your fault, Cody." She couldn't remember how many times she had uttered those words. "I know you know that. You've got to stop putting this on yourself okay?" Her eyes pleaded with his.

His nod was hardly convincing. The air suddenly felt chilly, and Jenna wrapped her arms around herself, before stepping back into her heels and taking a halting step forward. "Come on, let's go inside."

Cody swooped in beside her, hanging onto her arm as she wobbled toward the door. "I'll always be here for you," he promised solemnly, before breathing in a sigh as he lightened his tone, "You know, when you're old and only have cats to keep you company. Or, in the fashion of this family, a herd of Geochelone sulcatae."

She reached to smack him, but she tripped as she swiveled on her heel, face-planting against his chest. "And it's a bale. A bale of tortoises," she corrected him, a slight grin on her face. He instinctively wrapped his arms around her, the hug startlingly familiar, yet achingly foreign. She closed her eyes, willing the knot in her throat to loosen.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, google-mouth junior," Cody gave her a final squeeze.

But she clung to him for a moment, suddenly afraid of what would happen if she let go.

A/N: There are happier times for the Rizzoli-Isles ahead, I do assure you, and there will be more of a focus of Jane and Maura working through their differences - there's just a lot of their past I want to reveal to you so that their conversations in the present are more meaningful.

Your feedback is lovely - seriously, this story is hard to write, so I really do appreciate every comment :)