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Chapter 10
Two weeks later Jane was at home by herself. It was her day off work and the brunette didn't know what to do. She wasn't used to not doing anything. She always had been at one job or the other.
The brunette was sitting in the living room with a book and was reading, while she hoped that either the day would pass by soon or Maura would come. Maura was the only one she spent time with outside work and over the last two weeks she really had grown closer to her.
Maura pulled into the garage and Jane heard it shut before she had heard it open. Maura then took her time getting out of the car. She moved to the trunk and got a small suitcase, then to the passengers back seat and opened the door.
She gently offered the child her hand and it was taken. Lilly had locks like her mother and the wide brown eyes. She had not been in the best of situations, but Maura had taken care of it with her brother's help.
She opened the garage entrance door and walked in, talking softly to the little one that walked next to her. She carried the suitcase in her other hand. The little girl clutched a blue bunny to her chest as she looked around at the huge space spread out before her.
Lilly looked up to Maura with her big, dark eyes. She was kind of scared and didn't know what was going.
"Where's Mommy?" She asked, since Maura had told her that they were going to see her mother. She clutched the bunny tighter against her chest with one hand, while she kept holding onto Maura's hand, not letting go of her.
Maura smiled, "She is somewhere around here," she said gently and moved into the main hall and then into the living room.
"Hello? Anyone home. Maura had taken Berries to the boarder this morning so that the small child would not be anymore terrified than she already was.
"Here." Jane raised a hand that was suddenly visible by the couch. She was lying and now grabbed the couch and pulled herself up in a sitting position, turning to look at Maura. As she did, shock was written all over her face. She dropped the book that she held into the other hand and immediately rushed over to the little girl.
"Lilly!" Jane dropped on her knees in front of the girl and hugged her daughter tight, closing her eyes as tears welled up inside them.
"Oh god Lilly..." Jane whispered. She couldn't believe this was happening. She opened her eyes and glanced up at Maura.
"Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you, thank you, thank you."
Maura was nothing like the girl Jane had first met. She had her dark side, but she was a much softer human being. Whatever had changed her...Jane wanted that to never leave the woman.
Maura swallowed and tried not to cry as the little girl was hugged by her mother. They embraced one another for a long time and Maura nodded to Jane and lipped soft words of 'Always...' Maura said that anything Jane said thank you to her. It was just her way. Maura reached up and rubbed the back of her neck, smiling down at the pair.
Jane let go of her daughter at some point and Lilly looked at her. She remembered her. Jane smiled at her and then pressed a kiss on her cheek. Lilly showed her the bunny and Jane moved with her daughter over the couch. She let her sit on her lap and played with her and the bunny.
About an hour later, the girl yawned. The trip she had behind herself with Maura and the playing had exhausted the little girl and Jane brought Lilly upstairs into her bed.
"How can I ever make this up to you?" Jane asked once she was downstairs with Maura again.
"Is Lilly legally mine now? Can she stay? Do I have custody?" The brunette asked.
Maura was in the kitchen by the time that Jane came back down stairs from taking Lilly to a bed. She was at the stove, making coffee. She looked up and smiled as Jane came back down stairs. She turned to her slightly.
"No, but you will," she said with a smile. She moved to the counter and rubbed the sides of her face.
"I had to take legal guardianship for now...but in time...she will be yours once again...not that she still isn't now..."
"So you are Lilly's legal guardianship?" Jane questioned and silenced for a moment. It was a weird thought for the brunette but she didn't know why quite yet.
"Thanks." Jane said with a half smile and kissed her cheek.
"I have to sign Lilly up for kindergarten...and I need a nanny for when I have to work." Jane said and sat down on a chair in the kitchen.
Maura smiled tightly and then sat down next to Jane, taking a hand between hers.
"There was no other way I could take her without using that power. If I took her under your name...she would be taken back into the foster care system...and I could not let that happen to you again. I wish it could be different," she said, staring into Jane's face. "I know it's not really what you wanted..."
"It's fine Maura. I know you've done your best. And you succeeded - Lilly is here with me. That's all that matters." Jane whispered and leaned forward and kissed the blonde on the lips.
"I'll never forget that you did that for me." Jane said and looked into her her hazel eyes.
"Then you are welcome. I would do it all again...no matter what the costs would be," she said with a sweet smile and then she kissed Jane back before leaning back into her chair and still staring at the woman.
Maura would never tell Jane what they had really had to do to get the child...but she never really worried about Jane asking. Jane simply assumed that she brought the child home and safely...that it was done through legal means.
Jane smiled at her and simply kissed the blonde again.
Two weeks later, Doyle handed his daughter photos.
"She doesn't deserve you, Maura. She doesn't appreciate you and she only plays you." He said to his daughter and turned the pictures in Maura's hands around now, studying her face.
It showed Jane sitting in the car on the passenger seat and kissing another woman. There was a time stamp on the pictures, saying the photos were taken four days ago.
"Angel, I can't have that woman treating you like that." He said and placed a hand on his daughters shoulder.
Maura just stood there, numb. She didn't believe...she couldn't believe. Her heart started racing as her father placed a hand on her shoulder and then she shook it off, pulling away. Tears welled up in her eyes and she trembled from head to toe.
"No, daddy...No. I will not believe this. There has to be a reason...there just has to be a reason," she kept saying over again as she started to cry.
"I'm sorry Angel..." He said and looked down at her.
"I told you she is no good for you. Just get her out of your condo and find someone else...someone who loves you the same way...someone who respects you...not someone as twisted and...fucked up as her." He said.
"You deserve so much better, Angel."
Maura's face was now in total despair. She took a step back from her father again and then looked at him. A few tears fell down her round cheeks. He saw the raw pain within her eyes. She really loved this woman and the anger he felt at how she hurt his daughter sent his blood boiling.
Maura then left and cried all the way home,while she drove. She slowly stepped inside the condo and moved numbly toward the bedroom.
Lilly rushed over to Maura as she saw her and immediately grabbed her leg, wrapping her arms around her thigh; hugging her.
"Hello." She said in the most adorable way and looked up with her bright, dark eyes. She wore a one piece pajama, apparently she had just woken up from her afternoon nap.
"Shh Mommy's sleeping with Kodi." She informed her and giggled.
Maura could not help but smile down at the small child wrapped around her leg. She affectionately ruffled her hair before looking over at the couch.
"OK sweetie, go play...I need to talk to mommy for a moment," she said and ushered the child into the play room down the hall. She then walked over to the couch and tossed the photos into Jane's sleeping face.
"Give me a reason not to make you leave..."
The Italian girl winced and woke up. Her heart was racing in her chest, since Maura had really rudely awakened her. Jane sat drowsily up and took the photos that Maura had tossed in her face and looked at them in silence.
Jane obviously didn't know what to say and let a hand ran through her dark hair. She pressed her lips together and stared at the photos a while longer before she spoke.
"We are not...exclusive.." Jane whispered.
Maura could not believe what she was hearing. Her heart was in her throat and she felt the blood rush to her face in anger.
"Since when, Jane! When did you just decide that you didn't want that? How long? How long have you been doing this to me? After all I did for her...for you," she said pointed back to the hall. "God Jane...how could you!"
Jane let a hand run over her face and then she got up from the couch.
"Maura...it's not what it looks like...well, it is but...not what you think." The brunette tried to explain.
"Uh, it was a one time thing Maura...I needed money and couldn't ask you for it." The brunette said and looked into her eyes.
"What the hell Jane! I would give you anything you ever wanted. Myself included. You slept with someone to get money! I could give you that! I could give you anything," she yelled and shook her head. Her heart felt like it was going to come out of her mouth.
"I can't accept this! I won't...I worked so hard over these past years to become something that you would love...and when I do...you throw me away...I should have listened to my father...This should have never happened," she said before moving off quickly to the bedroom. She slammed the door and locked it. Then she sunk to the floor and buried her face into her hands.
Jane stood in the living room and took a deep breath before she walked after Maura. As she noticed the door was locked, Jane let herself slide down along the door, until she sat at the ground.
"Maura, it's really not as you think it is..." She whispered and leaned her head against the door.
"...I couldn't ask you for money because...it was for your birthday present. I didn't wanna buy you something cheap...you deserve so much more after what you did for me... and I figured that the easiest way to make a lot of money in a short time is...selling my body. It was only one time..." Jane whispered. "I'm sorry."
To Maura it did not matter why Jane did it...it was the fact that Jane did it. She slept with someone else. The fact that it was for her birthday did not make it right...it only made it worse.
Jane could hear the woman crying on the other side of the door. Maura listened, but she barely heard what Jane said. She was just so angry and hurt. It would take a life time to get back what she had lost. Her heart felt like it was broken into more pieces that there was a number for. She trembled and just cried against her hand. She did not come out for the rest of the night, forcing Jane to sleep in the guest room.
TBC
So...any thoughts?
