Nearing the end of the work day, the Division One Cafe was typically quiet. Nobody wanted coffee or food just before they went home, and the night shift wouldn't be arriving for another hour or so. Angela usually took this time to do some organizing, cleaning, and inventory, then she'd place her orders for the following day. It was as close to relaxed as Angela's work day got, and when she did have customers, they would be there to talk, not to eat. Sometimes she felt more like a bartender than a waitress, chatting with these late-afternoon customers about their days and whatever might be troubling them. So when Jane walked in, a little waddle to her step, Angela figured she wanted to talk about something important.

"Ma, do you have any fried chicken?" Jane ran her fingers through her hair, pulling it away from her face. Angela noticed that Jane's hair had become a little less curly, but thicker. Her daughter was beautiful pregnant. "I'm dyin' for some Popeye's." She was still a little crude, though.

"Sorry, sweetie, all that's left is some coleslaw and a couple'a stale donuts. You want one'a those?"

"Nah, thanks anyway. I'll just pick up some chicken on the way home." Jane took a seat at one of the high tables, so Angela came around to sit with her. "Ma, I gotta ask you a favor."

"What is it, sweetie?" A lot had changed since Angela had last given birth, but she was excited to be able to help with her daughter's pregnancy. Being a grandmother was the best of both worlds, Angela figured, based on her time with TJ: she got to take care of the baby regularly, smell his little baby powder smell and hear his happy little gurgles, but she got to rest peacefully at the end of the day and had none of the pain of childbirth. "You want me to go to one of those Lamaze classes with you?"

"Ma! No!" Jane leaned back and held her hands up to defend against the mental image of herself in medical stirrups, with her mother beside her. "Maura would do that anyway, but we haven't—nevermind, can we not talk about labor please?"

Angela laid her hand flat on the table and leaned in, as if she were telling a juicy secret. "Labor is a beautiful thing, Janie. It hurts like hell, but it's beautiful."

Jane crouched down in her chair. "Please, Ma, just stop."

"It's going to happen, whether you like it or not. You'd better get used to the idea."

"I know, Ma, I know. I'd just rather not think about it right now."

"Well then, what's this favor you need?"

"There's this sale at one of those baby stores today, but I have to work late. Maura wants to find a crib and a changing table. Can you—"

What a silly question; of course Angela would love to go baby shopping. "Yes! I'll go with her."

Jane laughed at Angela's enthusiastic reply. "Great, thanks. But not too much pink, ok, Ma? At least not until the kid is old enough to decide if she even likes pink. And don't bully Maura into any canopy cribs or anything. She's the mommy."

Angela was still getting used to this 'two mommies' arrangement. "And what does that make you?"

"I'm the mommy who doesn't like shopping," Jane replied flatly. She got up to leave, but stopped when she remembered, "Oh, and one other thing. We're gonna start decorating the baby's room soon, and we wanna move the bed out of the guest room and into the office in the guest house. Tommy and Frankie are going to help us move this weekend. Ok?"

"Of course." Angela thought for a moment, mentally inventorying the spaces in Maura's house. She was obviously missing something. "But, Jane, where will you sleep?"

"Huh?"

"If you're turning the guest room into the baby's room, where will you sleep?"

Jane's head cocked and her eyes narrowed. "I sleep with Maura, Ma."

Angela's brain got hung-up on the phrasing. Jane said 'I sleep with Maura,' not 'I will sleep with Maura.' Continuing the thought, even though there was an empty bed, Jane preferred to sleep with Maura.

Armed with this new information, Angela scanned through her memories. Jane had always been a naturally physical person. She was comfortable in her own skin and acutely aware of personal space. When she was a child, Jane used that to her advantage to intimidate the bullies who tried to pick on her brothers. Angela supposed she used it as an adult to intimidate criminals. Jane was very protective of her own personal space, too. She would always squirm when Angela tried to hug her. She'd become even more protective during her pregnancy. But Maura had always been the exception to that. Come to think of it, around Maura, it was like Jane had no boundaries at all. They'd sit right up next to one another on the couch, even when there was plenty of space to spread out. And Maura didn't seem to mind when Jane touched her, either, even though Maura tended to keep herself pretty guarded around everyone else. Jane would swat at Maura like she was marking her territory, and Maura would just smile and do whatever Jane asked.

There was definitely something special between the two of them, but Angela had always assumed it was a close friendship. Of course, Jane had always been annoyed when Angela tried to set her up on dates with perfectly handsome young men. And she hadn't been very social when she was in school, either, despite her good looks. Casey was the only man she ever seemed to get along with, and that didn't last two full months of actual dating. Suddenly, when viewed in this new light, her daughter made sense. Angela was beginning to understand, but why hadn't Jane simply told her she wasn't attracted to men years ago, and saved her the trouble of all that matchmaking? Had Angela missed or misunderstood some big coming-out announcement along the way? She was Jane's mother, for heaven's sake, didn't she deserve to be told unambiguously that her daughter was a lesbian?

Angela was starting to get a little annoyed that she had to put the pieces together like this. Of all the ways to tell your mother you're gay, Jane picked, 'I'm sleeping with Maura,' and was looking at her like she was an idiot for not knowing all along. Angela huffed and put her hands on her hips. "Jane, if you're trying to tell me that you and Maura are a couple—"

"What? No! We don't sleep together, we just... sleep together. Like, sleeping." Jane waited, but Angela was still eyeing her. "I'm not gay, Ma."

Well, now Angela didn't know what to think. She scratched her cheek. "Are you sure?"

"Geez! Yes!"

Angela was not convinced. She returned to wiping down the counter. "Because it's very in to be lesbian these days."

"Ma!"

"I'm just saying, if you and Maura wanted to, you'd make a very attractive couple."

"Ma! Enough. We're not."

"Fine, Janie, whatever you say." Angela was not at all convinced, but she knew that Jane liked to win. And if she wasn't ready to come out to her mother, Angela wasn't going to push her. One of these days, though, Jane would have to bite the bullet and admit it. She wasn't getting any younger, and a looker like Maura wasn't going to wait forever.

Angela slipped her hands into her apron pockets and felt a folded piece of paper she had almost forgotten about. "Oh, by the way, here's a list of names I thought of today."

Jane took the list from Angela and started reading aloud. "Marie? No. Felicia? NO. Amolia, seriously?"

"That was my grandmother's name, they called her Molly."

"Alright, maybe Molly. Suzanne, no. Michelle, no. Josephine? Ma, we're not naming the baby the same thing as my dog, and no to Lucy. But thank you for playing. I can't wait to see tomorrow's list," Jane deadpanned.

"Really, Janie, if you and Maura—"

Jane put her hand to her pocket, pretending her phone was vibrating. "Oh, phone call, gotta go, Ma, see you later." Jane rushed away with a smile creeping onto her face, and pushed the down button on the elevator.

Maura drove Angela out to this big swanky furniture store in the suburbs. They were having a sale on children's furniture, and Maura had something specific in mind, but couldn't seem to find what she was looking for. She wandered around the store running her fingers over each item, while Angela trailed behind, not being nearly as much use as she had hoped.

"What are we looking for, honey?" Maura had explained in the car that she wanted a crib, a changing table, and a rocking chair. But there were hundreds of each here, and none of them seemed to be good enough for Dr. Isles. Maybe if Angela could get an idea of what style, at least, she could point out a few attractive options.

"Oh, you know..." Maura trailed off as something caught her eye, then as she got closer she apparently decided there was something wrong with it, and she moved on. "Something well-crafted, safe, attractive..."

"This one looks nice," Angela suggested a pine crib with one side that was, according to the tag, 'easy to drop.' Internally, Angela scoffed at the need to slide one side of a crib down. Kids these days need all sorts of complicated setups.

Maura turned to look at the piece, then looked up at Angela and scrunched her nose. "That's... not really what I'm looking for."

It was clear that Angela's motherly expertise was not going to be utilized on this occasion. A little put-out that Jane had asked her to go along when Maura clearly didn't need a second opinion, Angela decided to put her time to good use. With Maura as distracted as she was, Angela could have a little fun, and maybe get some information that Jane was reluctant to tell. She started ignoring the furniture and just followed Maura around, asking questions.

"So, Dr. Isles, are your mom and dad excited to be grandparents?"

"Hmm? Oh, yes, I suppose so. They're planning a visit for shortly after the baby arrives."

"What last name is the baby going to have? Is she going to be a Rizzoli or an Isles?" Maura didn't answer right away, so Angela continued, "I suppose if you and Jane were to get married," Maura stopped dead in her tracks, "you could hyphenate your names. Rizzoli-Isles, or Isles-Rizzoli." At this, Maura turned around slowly. Angela had her attention now.

Maura seemed to be carefully considering her answer, as if she were hiding something and didn't want to give anything away. But Angela knew that if she could ask the right questions, Maura couldn't lie. Unfortunately, Maura skirted the interrogation this time, "The baby will be a Rizzoli. We may use Isles as a middle name." Then she turned around, flipped her hair, and continued browsing.

Angela tried again. "It's awfully generous of you to volunteer to be a mother to your friend's baby." Angela caught up with Maura and stood in front of her, blocking her way. "Not just any friend would do that."

Maura gulped and replied. "I didn't volunteer, she asked." Maura scooted around Angela toward the far corner of the showroom.

Angela pulled out the big guns. "Are you going to help Jane with perineal massage? It's very important and many women can't do it themselves." She was purposely trying to make Maura uncomfortable by bringing up something the prim doctor surely considered too intimate for a public conversation.

Maura was backed up against a wall now. She lowered her chin and crossed her arms, clearly not appreciating the third degree.

Angela didn't care if Maura appreciated her questions. Sometimes mothers had to go to great lengths to get information out of their daughters. Maura would need to learn that sooner or later, and who better to teach her than her own mother in law? Angela crossed her arms and raised her chin, looking down her nose in challenge.

Maura gave in. "Despite my medical degree, I don't think Jane would be comfortable asking me to do that." Then she found a side route out of the furniture store maze.

That wasn't the answer Angela was expecting at all. She had been so sure they were... you know... but Maura made it sound like, if they were a couple at all, they hadn't yet... you know. Maybe Jane was being stubborn about it. Maybe she hadn't told Maura how she felt yet. Maybe she didn't know if Maura felt the same way.

Well, that would be easy to figure out. Angela set off after Maura, still wandering the showroom looking for the perfect crib. "A young man came into the cafe yesterday, Maura." (Angela could conjure eligible young men at the drop of a hat.) "He was tall, dark, and handsome, and he looked very smart. He said he was a doctor. And unattached. Just your age, too." Maura didn't seem to be paying attention, so Angela threw out the kicker. "I gave him your phone number, I hope you don't mind. I thought you'd want to go out with him on a date."

Maura spun around, her hair flying. "You WHAT?" Her hands were out, reaching to the heavens for help. Angela had seen Jane do this countless times. It just meant her strategy was working. "I don't want to go on a date with some man you met in the cafe!"

"But he's perfect for you, Maura!" Angela's face was serious, but inside she was smiling.

"I promise you, he's not. Whoever he is, whatever he does, no matter what he looks like. He is not perfect for me." Maura paused, hearing what she just said, then took a breath to calm herself and try to recover. "I'll appreciate if you didn't give my number out to strangers." Then she turned and walked away, leaving Angela quite pleased with herself. Despite her frustration, Maura found the perfect crib not three minutes later.

So it seemed to Angela that Jane and Maura were in love, but neither wanted to admit it. Turned out both women found what they were looking for in that furniture store.

Maura was silent on the drive home, hoping that Angela hadn't understood what Maura was trying not to say. But of course she had. As Maura pulled into the driveway and put the car in park, Angela laid her hand over Maura's on the gearshift and broke the silence. "She loves you too, you know. I can see it. She's never been so... at ease... as when she's with you."

Maura looked over at Angela, despite the tears forming. Angela brought their hands to her heart and continued, "But she can be so stubborn, my Janie." She paused, then nodded when she said, "Our Janie." Then she squeezed Maura's hand and finished, "She might need your help realizing it. You understand?"

Maura bit her lip and nodded, so Angela let go of her hand and reached into her purse for some tissues. "Now let's clean you up so she doesn't think I was picking on you all night." She found them and handed one over with a smile. "You're gonna be fine, honey. You'll see."

Jane had finally gotten her fried chicken and had a few pieces in the car on the way home. But once that craving was sated, she started thinking about a grilled cheese sandwich. It was almost ready when Maura and Angela arrived, visibly exhausted from their shopping trip. Maura put her keys and bag down and Angela gave her a little shove toward the kitchen. Jane pulled out a stool for her and rubbed her back while she sat.

Satisfied with the way things were going, Angela gave Maura and Jane a peck on the cheek, and Jane pat on the belly (earning a small growl at the invasion of her personal space), and said goodnight to her three girls. Then she winked at Maura as she exited to the guest house.

Jane wasn't sure what had transpired on that shopping trip, but she could tell something went down. Following her mother's lifelong example, Jane decided to use food to grease the wheels of conversation, and returned to the stove. "Did you eat? You want some grilled cheese? Or some chicken?" She nodded to the greasy bucket on the counter, then cut her sandwich in half and put it on a plate for them to share. Then she put that, the bucket of chicken, and a stack of paper napkins in front of Maura. "How about some wine? You look like you could use a glass. Shopping with my mother wasn't completely awful, was it? Should I have let you go by yourself?"

Maura smiled and raised an eyebrow, "I could have used some wine back at the store."

"Oooh, that bad, huh?" Jane poured the wine for Maura and filled a glass of water for herself. "What did she do, pick out the worst thing there? Or did she haggle with the salesperson? Just tell me whatever you got isn't bright pink, please." Jane used a hand on Maura's back for balance as she perched on the other stool.

Maura held the wine glass in both hands, but didn't take a sip. "She tried to set me up with some guy she met in the cafe." Jane's face fell for a second before she looked away. She tried to hide her dismay by taking a bite of the sandwich, but Maura saw it. She went on, hoping to make it better. "I blew up at her, Jane, I may have overreacted. But I think I made it clear that I don't want her setting me up on dates. I'm not interested in dating." Maura waited for Jane to make eye contact. "I'd rather be with you."

Jane swallowed and let her smile grow. "Really?" Maura nodded happily. "Good, because if you brought that guy home I prolly woulda punched his lights out, just on principle."

"Oh, Jane, you wouldn't."

"Mhmm," she nodded as she took another bite and talked with her mouth full. "I would. And I'd give Ma a piece of my mind, too, but it sounds like you already did that."

Maura finally sipped her wine and relaxed a bit. "I did." She shook her head in wonder. "She is incredibly persistent. You don't think we're going to be that way with our daughter, do you?"

"I hope not. But you know she thinks she's doing the right thing, she's just annoying as hell about it. Oh, that reminds me, she keeps giving me lists of baby names, and I hate them ALL."

"We'll find the right one, don't worry." Maura tried her half of the grilled cheese. Despite the saturated fat, or maybe because of it, it was the perfect comfort food.

"Maybe we should just call her Dumbo," Jane suggested.

Maura stopped chewing and stared blankly.

"Like the elephant?" Jane stared down at her plate. Maybe Maura didn't remember. "Just until we pick a real name, I mean."

Maura swallowed, considering. "That name doesn't seem very charitable. There was an elephant called Dumbo?"

Jane looked up, aghast at the holes she kept uncovering in Maura's childhood experience. "Yeah, he could fly! Oh man, we're renting that movie tomorrow."

"Well," Maura wiped her fingers on a paper napkin and suggested, "if you want to name her after an elephant, perhaps Betty the Learned Elephant would be a more appropriate choice. She was the first trained elephant in the United States, and she toured the Eastern seaboard from 1822 to 1826." Maura paused, debating whether to add Betty's tragic demise. "Her trainer claimed she was so spectacular, she could withstand a bullet. He was wrong."

Jane scowled. "No, we're not calling our kid 'Betty,' even if it is just until we find a real name."

Maura thought a moment, then suggested, "What about 'Echo'? She was a wild elephant in East Africa, the matriarch of the elephant family studied in the Amboseli Elephant Research Project. She was a remarkable leader."

"How do you know this stuff?"

Maura shrugged. "She was featured on Nature."

Jane chuckled and patted the baby. "Ok, 'Echo' it is."

They sat in silence a moment while Maura finished her half of the sandwich and peeled the crust off a piece of chicken. Then Jane remembered the point of the shopping trip. "Did you manage to get some furniture?"

"Oh! Yes!" Maura covered her mouth with her hand while she chewed, wiped her hands again, and got the catalog out of her purse. She flipped to the bookmarked page of the set she chose and set it on the island for Jane to see. "I bought the whole set. Crib, changing table, dresser, rocking chair, bookshelf..." It was a deep mahogany with clean lines and fine craftsmanship. It was the kind of set that got passed down through generations. "They'll deliver it next week."

"This looks expensive, Maura. Are you sure-"

"Don't worry about the price, Jane. She's worth every penny. Echo." Maura paused to smile at the new name. She rested her arm on the back of Jane's stool. "Besides, it was on sale, and it was a gift from my parents. They want her to have the best."

Jane looked up at Maura, wondering if this was really the case. She wouldn't put it past Maura to try to lie to make Jane more comfortable with money. But Jane detected no hives, so she wrapped an arm around Maura's waist and pulled her in. Jane's head was at just the right height to rest on Maura's chest.

Maura's hand moved from the chair to cradle Jane's head, her fingers weaving through Jane's hair. She added, "They love her." Maura promised herself that one day soon she'd have the courage to say what she really meant.

Jane closed her eyes, focusing on the beating of Maura's heart, her gentle sway, and the sound of her breathing. Her mind wandered back to another night when family had exhausted them both, the night they found out about the baby. Maura had said something... I want this, you and me sitting together after a long day, for the rest of our lives. It sounded strange to Jane at the time, but at this moment it sounded perfect.